Justice
by kira66
Summary: Daniel became a foster child and a ward of the McGee family at age eight. Now, thirtyfour years later he has to help his foster brother prove that their father didn't commit suicide, he was murdered. To complicate things, the NID maybe to blame.
1. Chapter 1

"I'll have what he's having."

Timothy McGee, NCIS Special Agent, ignored the man that had just sat down beside him at the bar. Instead, he continued to stare at his almost full bottle of beer. He had only taken two sips in the hour that he had been sitting there.

The man didn't seem to mind the fact that he was being ignored. Actually, he seemed rather amused by it. "You know, I haven't seen you this quiet since that time Mrs. Elway yelled at you for staring at Jennifer Sayers instead of paying attention in English class."

How'd you..." McGee turned his head to look at the man. "Daniel?" It took him a moment but he was fairly certain that the man was Daniel Jackson, his foster brother. "You look good for a dead man." It slipped out before he could stop it.

Daniel chuckled and took a sip of his newly arrived beer. "What can I say, everybody makes mistakes."

McGee blinked. "Twice?" How could some make the same mistake twice?

"There was considerably more instances than just two _but_ enough about me." Daniel changed the subject. "How you been, Tim?"

"I've been as good as one can be, considering. How about you?" McGee asked.

Daniel took another sip of his beer then pushed it away. He may have developed a tolerance for the bitter liquid, but he wasn't going to take any chances. "I've been good."He wasn't one for small talk, something he picked up from the ever blunt Jack O'Neill. "I was going to call but..." He trailed off and looked down at the woodgrain bar top. "How you holding up?"

McGee pushed his bottle of beer away and sighed. "Dad and I weren't ever close, Daniel. I don't really know _what_ to feel."

"That's normal." Daniel knew first hand what Tim was feeling _and_ going through. "He, uh, he leave a note?" It sounded grim but not for the situation.

"He did." McGee acknowledged as he reached into his rumpled suit jacket and pulled out a evidence bag that contained a single piece of paper. "They released it to me yesterday, professional courtesy." He snorted at the very thought. "Nothing special about it. It's just your run of the mill suicide note."

Daniel took the bag and smoothed it out on the bar top. It took him only a few seconds to read the familiar writing of his foster father. It didn't surprise him that Tim was right. It _was_ your average, run of the mill, suicide note. "I still can't believe he's gone." He shook his head. "I would have been here sooner but I couldn't get away from work." Which was the truth. SG-1, minus Samantha Carter who had relocated to Atlantis, had been working non-stop for a month trying to help the inhabitants of a former Ori occupied world adjust to being Godless for a second time. It wasn't easy but they managed to get them on the right path with promises to check up on them from time to time until they felt ready to be on their own once again. Three days later, mission accomplished, they returned to base. That's when General Landry informed him that several inquires had been made about his whereabouts on behalf of Admiral Timothy McGee Sr's family. He left as soon as he finished the debriefing and report. "Did he seem depressed to you?" He took off his glasses and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Was there warning signs?" He was trying to understand what had happened.

McGee downed the remainder of his beer. "I don't think he committed suicide, I think he was murdered." There, it was out in the open.

"You think he was murdered?" Daniel's thoughts came to a screeching halt. "Why do you think that?" He skimmed over the note again, in case he missed something.

"You're not going to call me crazy?" McGee asked his eyes watering; a sign he had had enough to drink. "Or that I'm finding things where there isn't anything to find?" He sounded bitter and defeated at the same time.

Daniel waited for Tim to finish. "Tell me why you think he was murdered." He prodded, gently.

McGee took a deep breath. "He called me a couple of weeks before he...I was surprised since he _never_ calls me. _Never_! Anyways, he said these guys came to see him at his office, after hours. They had guns and threatened to...hurt...him and his family if he didn't play ball. He said he hadn't seem them before and I believed him. One of them identified himself as an Agent Sanders with the NID. I had never heard of that Agency before so I checked."

"NID?" Daniel stiffened at the mention of the once _dirty_ Agency. With Agent Barrett in charge, the NID had reformed but there was still a handful of rogue cells, that called themselves the Trust, operating within the United States that seemed to always be one step ahead of those trying to shut them down. "What did you find out about them?" His voice was calm, interested, but not overly so. The only thing that signaled that he knew what the NID was, was his stiff posture.

"I found nothing! It's like they don't even exist! How is that possible? The government wouldn't hide an entire Agency from the people!" McGee seemed adamant. "I checked everywhere and nothing. Not one shred of evidence that the NID is real." He sounded defeated again.

Daniel reached over and patted Tim's arm. "Is there going to be an investigation into his _apparent_ suicide?" He believed Tim, if anybody could pull this off, the Trust could.

Tim snorted. "Nope!" He looked at his foster brother. "Not officially, anyways. I won't drop this Daniel, how can I? We may not have got along but he was still my dad!" He held Daniel's eyes. "I took two weeks off. I have that long to prove that he _didn't_ commit suicide."

"Then I'll help you." Now it was Daniel's turn to be adamant. "I won't take no for an answer, Tim." He knew the other man well enough to know he was going to argue. "I can help you. I have friends that will help."

Snapping his mouth shut, Tim eyed Daniel. "You've changed, Daniel." His voice took on a tone of fondness. "When did you grow out of your shy stage? And when did you get friends that can help in an unofficial murder investigation?"

Daniel shook his head."I can't tell you that, at least not yet. Let me just make a few calls and we can get out of here, okay?" He pulled out his cell-phone and dialed the familiar D.C. number. "Yeah, Cynthia, could I speak to General Jack O'Neill, please? Tell him it's Daniel. Yes, I'll hold."

Tim's mouth dropped open just a bit. "Isn't General O'Neill the new head of Homeland Security?" How did his _brother_ know the General? And apparently his secretary?

"Yup and it hates it!" Daniel said cheerfully just as he was connected to his friends office. "Yes, it's me Jack." He rolled his eyes. "How many other Daniel's do you know? Yes, we just got back. Actually, I'm in D.C." He held the phone away from his ear as it vibrated from a shouted _what?_. "I need a favor Jack. I need permission to read someone into the _project_." Again the phone was held away from his ear as an identical _what?_ echoed through the phone. "No, I'm _not _joking. This is serious." He lowered his voice. "His name is Timothy McGee, go ahead and check him out, he's an NCIS Agent so he should be clean. I need to read him in because there's a chance that his father was killed by the NID." The phone was silent. "Yeah, we can meet you in..." He glanced at his watch. "An hour? Yes Jack, steak is fine. Bye Jack." He hung up the phone. "I hope you haven't eaten because knowing Jack, he's going to buy steaks three inches thick."

"You _know_ General O'Neill? Homeland Security Director O'Neill?" McGee was in awe. "How? When? _Where_? Wait, steaks? We...we're going to his _house_?" He was in shock.

Daniel nodded and tossed down a wad of bills to pay for both drinks, that he had pulled out of his pocket when he put the cell-phone away. "He doesn't bite, Tim. Well, not usually." He chuckled and patted Tim on the shoulder. "Come on, I need to clean up before we visit his Generalness. Oh and we need to stop at a pet store and buy a very big box of bones. His dog, Atlantis, is a very affectionate horse!" He was already heading out the door of the bar.

McGee stood and followed Daniel. "I think we need to talk later." He mumbled.

"I agree and we will." Daniel promised. "But after supper. I'm starved." He lead McGee to his car, a black SUV with tinted windows, it was on lone from the Pentagon, so it had government plates. Once they both were in, he started the car and headed for his hotel. The whole way there, Daniel was thinking that they picked the wrong man to kill. Because now he wasn't going to stop until they were brought to justice.


	2. Chapter 2

An hour and a half later found Daniel and Tim in Jack's backyard enjoying a two inch thick t-bone. Daniel and Jack were talking since Tim was too nervous to join the conversation.

McGee swallowed his last bite of steak then sat back and just _watched_ Daniel. It was weird comparing adult Daniel to child Daniel. The Daniel he knew had been shy, closed off, especially around authority figures. But he saw no signs of that child as he watched his foster brother talk and laugh with the General. He was so open and comfortable around the older man. "I...what?" He felt his face heat up at being caught day dreaming. They had been talking about Hockey, hadn't they?

"How long have you known Danny-boy?" Jack repeated his previously ignored question. Taking a a sip of his Genesee then shot Daniel an amused look.

"Oh, um, since we were kids." McGee stumbled over his answer. He didn't know how much the General knew about Daniel's life so he didn't elaborate. If Daniel and Jack's relationship was anything like his and Gibbs, then the other man didn't know much.

Daniel wiped his mouth with his napkin before returning it to his lap. "Tim's family took me in after the accident. I stayed with them until I was sixteen and started my sophomore year of college. By then the state had emancipated me so I figured it was time to get used to being in the real world. You know, like normal college kids? Anyways, I kept in touch for awhile but I started to feel awkward. I mean, they _weren't_ my parents. No matter what they said or did to prove otherwise. So why should they care how my week was or what grade I got in Ancient Cultures? I cut off all contact with them after I refused to let them adopt me." He explained. Talking about his past had once been painful but not anymore. Not since the Gamekeeper broadcasted his most painful memory for his friends and his _residents_ to see.

McGee choked on the sip of water he had just taken. "They wanted to adopt you?" Why hadn't he heard about this before? "Why did you refuse?" He knew Daniel had always wanted a family so why did he pass up the chance to have one?

Jack watched as shock passed over the young NCIS Agents face. He had obviously not known about the purposed and declined offer of adoption, which didn't seem odd. Most families had secrets. Lowering is voice, he decided to answer for his friend. "Daniel is fiercely loyal, something I learned first hand over the years. I imagine that he felt, stop me if I'm wrong Daniel, that by allowing another family to adopt him, he'd be betraying _his_ parents and their memories. They were only thing that was _really _his. He did became an archeologist to follow in their footsteps steps."

"He's right." Daniel told McGee then shot his friend a look. "You don't _have _to look _so_ smug about it." He mumbled and easily dodged and caught the napkin that had been thrown at his head. He retaliated by throwing the napkin back, hitting Jack in the side of the head.

Watching their interaction was almost hypnotizing, McGee thought as he shook his head. Starting to feel left out as the napkin battle escalated, he gathered his courage and plunged into the conversation for the first time. "How long have you known Daniel, Sir?"

"For crying out loud! How many times do I have to ask you to call me Jack?" Jack pointed at Daniel. "It's you're fault that I now feel like I'm living in the twilight zone!" He exclaimed. "I had to beg and plead to get you to use my rank and bribe to get you to use Sir. Now I have one that _won't_ stop!" He sighed. "I work at the Pentagon kid, I have enough people there to kiss my ass. So when I'm at home, I just want to be plain old Jack O'Neill who has a cabin in Minnesota with a lake with or without fish depending on the reality. So please just call me Jack." Now that he had made his point, he was ready to answer the question. "I've known Daniel for almost twelve years and we've been friends for eleven."

McGee tilted his head to the side. "Oh? You weren't friends to start out with?"

Daniel rolled his eyes. "Jack doesn't like scientists. He has no time for them. So when he got stuck with me, he didn't take it very well."

"So what happened to make you two friends?" McGee wanted to know since he knew nothing about Daniel's adult life.

Jack leaned back in his chair. "He saved my life and the lives of my team. I owed him my life, the least I could do was give him my friendship." He said, seriously.

McGee turned his head to look at Daniel, who was looking back, steadily. "I don't understand. I thought you were an archeologist?"

"I know you don't." Daniel told him, honestly. "And I am an archeologist or at least I _was_ until I was laughed out of academia." He didn't sound bitter or resentful at the revelation as he looked at Jack. "Were you able to get him cleared?"

"Took some convincing but I got him clearance. I was certain that I was going to be turned down until I mentioned your name to the IOA. Seems that the Chinese Representive has a soft spot for you." Jack sounded amused. It was a well known fact that Daniel had a way with woman, Alien or otherwise. Well, well known to everyone _except_ Daniel. He was as clueless about the effect he had on woman as the day he joined the Stargate program bound and determined to find his wife, Sha're

"Clearance? IOA? What's going on Daniel?" McGee didn't like not knowing all the facts.

Daniel nodded. "I'll clean up out here so why don't you go ahead and take him inside and fill him in on the basics?"

Jack stood and let out a whistle. A second later a grey Great Dane puppy came running across the yard and towards the deck. "Slow down, Atlantis!" He yelled and was pleased to see the puppy heed his command and slow before bounding onto the deck. Patting the already large dog on the head, he crossed the deck and opened the patio doors that lead into the game room. "Are you waiting for a written invitation?" It wasn't clear if he was talking to Atlantis or McGee, but both stood and followed him inside.


	3. Chapter 3

"Make yourself comfortable." Jack told McGee once they exited the game room and entered the den which also acted as an office for the very busy head of Homeworld Security. He moved behind the large antique oak desk and sat down.

McGee took a moment to survey his new surroundings and get his bearings. It was still a little hard to believe that he was actually un the home of the Director of Homeland Security. "I know her." He stepped up to the mantle that was lined with photos. "Isn't that Doctor Samantha Carter? The Astrophysicist?"

Jack smiled, remembering the first time he had met the spunky blonde Captain. She made it crystal clear that she was suppose to be treated like one of the guys and as such she was supposed to be addressed by her rank. But as soon as she had met one Doctor Daniel Jackson, she changed her tune. Around him, she was his equal and as such a Doctor as well. Ah, how far they all had come since that fateful day ten and a half years ago. "Yup." He answered, content in watching the younger man move from photo to photo.

"You know her?" McGee asked in awe as his eyes moved from photo to photo. "Wait a minute!" He picked one of the silver framed photos up to get a better look. Staring back at him with a shy smile on his face was the Daniel he had grown up with, long, shaggy, hair and all. "Why is Daniel in this picture and why is he wearing a uniform?" His eyes darted over the other three people in the picture. Standing beside Daniel was none other than his host, Jack O'Neill, his arms were resting on a large, deadly looking weapon. On the other side of Daniel was Doctor Samantha Carter, brilliant, mild mannered Astrophysicist. And on the other side of O'Neill was a well built black man. Leaning closer, he could just make out something gold positioned in the very center of the mans forehead. Scanning the picture again, it was clear to McGee that this was a team of sorts and the Director of Homeland Security had been the leader. But where did Daniel fit in? He was an archeologist, wasn't he? What use did the military have for someone that dedicated his life to studying the past? Looking up, he waited for the older man to answer his previously stated questions.

"_Why_ is actually classified." Jack folded his hands in front of him on the desk. "But lucky for you, you now have clearance to know the most guarded secret the United States and her allies has." He motioned to one of the chairs in front of the desk. "Have a seat, Tim, may I call you Tim? We have a lot to talk about."

McGee placed the photo back in its place then sat down. "Tim's fine and I believe we do." He sat quietly, waiting for the other man to speak. But when the silence began to stretch, he began to wonder if his questioned were going to be answered after all. "What is the most guarded secret the United States has?"

Jack cleared his throat wishing Daniel would hurry up. He knew that his friend was giving him time to assess the young NCIS Agent, face to face. "What I'm about to tell you is classified to the upmost degree. Speaking to anybody outside the project about the project is grounds enough for imprisonment under the United States Treason Act. Is that understood?" He told him, seriously.

Paling sightly, McGee swallowed then nodded. What had he gotten himself into? Imprisonment? Treason? Oh boy. "I understand, Sir."

"Good." Jack shuffled around some papers on his desk, giving him enough time to gather his thoughts. "Area 51 is real. Little green men are actually grey. And my dog is named after Atlantis, which is an actual place."

McGee blinked then blinked again. "Wh...huh?" Had he heard him correctly?

Jack grinned. "Area 51 is real. The Air Force is currently using it for the research and development of alien human hybrid technology." He paused letting that much of his previous statement sink in before continuing. "Little green men are actually grey and yes they _do_ look like all the aliens in old Hollywood films; big eyes, little bodies, that sort of thing. And yes, they used to abduct people from Earth to research but they haven't done that, legally, in fifteen or twenty years. Unfortunately, they _don't_ refer to themselves as Roswell Greys." Again he paused. "And my dog was named after Atlantis, Daniel's idea, not mine. He just won't let me live it down that I was actually happy that he couldn't go. Any questions?"

"Atlantis, as in the Lost City of?" McGee just felt his world come to a screeching halt. Was General O'Neill delusional? "Alien human hybrid technology? Roswell Greys are _actually_ grey?" It was all too much for him to handle so his eyes rolled up in his head and he slumped in the chair.

Looking up, Jack raised an eyebrow when he caught sight of Daniel leaning against the doorframe. "He took it better than I had hoped." He stated, dryly.

Daniel shook his head and moved into the room to check on his brother. Kneeling down, he checked his pulse, after finding it beating steady and strong, he stood and moved over to the other chair. "If you eased people into the conversation about aliens, they wouldn't faint. At least, some of them wouldn't."

Jack chuckled and leaned back in his chair. "I'm not one to beat around the bush, _you _know that. But if you don't like the way I tell the story, when he wakes up, the floor is all yours."

"Gee, thanks, Jack." Daniel rolled his eyes. The minutes began to stretch with no sign of Tim waking up. "So...you talk to Sam lately?" He had to fill the void with something while waiting.


	4. Chapter 4

First thing McGee noticed was that his eyes were closed. The second thing was the disembodied voices that seemed to be floating around him. Deciding that it was a good idea to open his eyes wasn't his wisest decision or so he thought when a flash of bright light blinded him and a stab of pain went through his head. Groaning, he reached up and gently touched his forehead. "What happened?" He licked his dry lips.

"I imagine that the last couple of days finally caught up with you." Daniel told him. "How are you feeling?"

McGee blinked as he realized where he was. He groaned again, this time in embarrassment. Tony would have a field day if he ever found out this. "Where's General O'Neill?" Hadn't he just heard him talking to Daniel like two seconds ago?

Daniel sat back in his chair once Tim started to regain some of his color. "Something came up at the Pentagon so he had to leave. I guess that means I get to pick up where he left off." He paused. "When you feel up to it, of course." He wasn't going to push things when his foster brother still looked a little pale and shaky.

Taking a deep breath, McGee ran his hand through his hair. "I'm ready." He steeled himself. "Are you going to tell me that Big Foot is real?" In his mind, it was a logical question to ask.

Snorting, Daniel shook his head. "As far as I know, Big Foot does not exist." Pushing himself out of the chair, he stood and walked over to the mantle. "Whatever Jack told you is true."

McGee stood and joined Daniel. "How?"

Daniel tilted his head to the side as he pointed to one of the pictures that didn't include Jack. "Do you know where that picture was taken?" He asked, ignoring his previous question for the moment.

Taking a moment, McGee studied the picture. Nothing looked out of the ordinary except for the fact that Daniel was in uniform, smiling, and resting his arms on a weapon that the others also carried. It looked to be a machine gun of sorts. Behind them were trees, lots of trees. Squinting, he focused on the sky, startled, he looked at Daniel. "Two moons?!" He asked in disbelief.

"There was three actually, the first had just set right before that picture was snapped." Daniel smiled at the memory. "This was taken on a planet we call PRJ-774. The inhabitants call it Rygiles. But we never refer to a planet by what the locals call it. That'd be too easy."

McGee opened his mouth but nothing came out. All he could do was stare at his foster brother and realize that he had no idea who he really was. Gone was the little boy that he had grown up with. In his place was a complete stranger.

Daniel felt sorry for Tim, it was a lot to take in. But it needed to be said before they could progress in the investigation in Timothy McGee Sr's death. "Earth had at least two Stargates at one time. For centuries, they lay buried, rendering them inoperative. The primary Gate was found by archaeologist Professor Langford on a dig in Giza, Egypt, in 1928. Another, in Antarctica, was inadvertently discovered by Sam and Jack. We, as in the SGC, which stands for Stargate Command, thought the Giza Gate was destroyed during a mission so we replaced it with the Gate found in Antarctica. The Giza Gate, however, was found underwater by the Russians when they salvaged the remains of a crashed ship. Later we were forced to blow up the second Gate, needless to say we ended up leasing the Russians' Stargate, our original Gate." He paused to let that much sink in before continuing. "The SGC's Gate was the subject of many years of fruitless study. Despite years of research, nobody was able to figure out how to work it, though we later found out that it was opened in 1945 but the experiment could not be repeated, thus stranding the man they sent through on some unknown planet. Professor Langford's daughter, Catherine Langford, an expert in Egyptology herself and for many years the leader of the research team studying the Stargate, contacted me and offered me a job translating artifacts related to the Stargate. I had just been laughed out of Academia and had nowhere else to go so I accepted her offer. I later figured out that constellations was the key to understanding how it worked. I deduced that the seven symbols on the Gate comprised an address with six coordinates and the point of origin. With all seven symbols you could dial the Gate. At first we thought it was a gateway between Earth and a planet called Abydos but after spending a year on the planet, I discovered it could go to millions of different worlds. So for the past ten and a half years I have been exploring alien worlds with my team, SG-1."

Stumbling over to his chair, he flopped down. McGee's head was reeling. Could all of this _actually _be true? Aliens? Other worlds? Stargates? And all of this was possible because of mild mannered Daniel Jackson? The boy who always got beat up and bullied because he was smaller than the others kids? Brighter than the other kids? "Are you serious?"

"I am." Daniel assured him. Moving away from the mantle, he reached down onto Jack's desk and picked up a folder. Turning around, he handed it to Tim along with a pen. "I need you to read and sign that."

McGee took the folder and flipped it open. "What is this?"

Daniel sat back down in the chair beside him. "Non-disclosure agreement. It's nothing to worry about. We've all had to sign one at one time or another." He shrugged. "It basically says that you won't tell anyone about the Stargate and if you do...you'll be charged with committing treason."

"And all of this has to do with Dad?" McGee asked as he hesitated.

"It does. The NID or National Intelligence Division was originally created to provide civilian oversight of the Stargate program, the SGC and its personnel. It _was _a legitimate organization in the beginning. It's main goal was to defend Earth and in doing so certain NID members began to employ extreme measures that placed them in conflict with the SGC and eventually led to the reorganization of the agency. The NID and the SGC had major disagreements on the methods used to acquire the technology needed to defend the planet. This led to the formation of a rogue group within the NID, called the Trust, whose goal was to acquire alien technology by any means necessary, employing tactics the SGC considered unethical. While the SGC desired technology, we valued the alliances we made with other races more; a method that proved too slow for the NID but eventually proved far more profitable. The newly reformed NID is currently run by Agent Malcolm Barrett, he's a friend." Daniel explained.

McGee looked down at folder again then quickly signed his name before he talked himself out of it. "Okay, what do we do now?" He asked as he handed the folder back to Daniel.

Daniel took the folder and laid it back on Jack's desk. "Now we get to work." With a sly grin he touched his ear where an ear bud had been placed before Jack beamed to the Pentagon. "Odyssey, this is Daniel, think you could give us a lift to the SGC?" He lowered his hand when he got his answer. "Standing is preferable." He warned Tim as he stood and waited for the familiar Asgard transport beam to engulf them.

Blinking, McGee pushed himself to his feet just in time to be engulfed in a bright light, the same bright light from earlier. Closing his eyes, he prayed that whatever was going on would be over soon.

"Jackson! About time!" Cameron Mitchell uncrossed his arms and stretched, he had been waiting for his friend for what seemed like hours. Well, half an hour. "Who's your friend and what the sam hill is wrong with him?"

"Tim, you can open your eyes now." Daniel couldn't help but feel amused. His foster brother looked like he had swallowed something very sour and retched tasting. His face was scrunched up like he was trying to swallow it. "This is Agent Timothy McGee, NCIS. He's who we're helping."

"What just happened?" McGee asked as he opened one eye then the other. Finally he left his face relax. "Oh, hello." He then noticed that they weren't alone nor were they in the General's house anymore.

Cameron grinned. "NCIS Agent, huh? Don't get many of them around here." He chuckled. "The General wants a report on the situation. All General O'Neill said was that you'd explain everything once you arrived."

Daniel shook his head. "That's Jack for yeah. Come on, Tim. You can get a tour of the place on the way to the briefing room."

McGee refused to move. "Where are we?!" He was trying not to hyperventilate.

"Whoa, calm down there." Cameron held up his hands in surrender. "You're currently under Cheyenne mountain. Odyssey gave you a lift, neat huh?"

"I'll explain on the way, Tim." Daniel assured. "Sooner we get the briefing out of the way the sooner we can get to work on finding out what really happened with you add."

Taking a deep breath, McGee nodded. "Alright." Shakily, he followed after the other two men. They weaved their way through endless corridors, passing men and woman in along the way. He noted how both men greeted and were greeted by the passerbys. "This is an Air Force base." He said, aloud.

Cameron chuckled. "For being a friend of yours, Jackson, he sure is slow on the uptake, isn't he?"

Daniel rolled his eyes. "He's just confused, Cameron, give him time to adjust before expecting him to function properly. And yes, this is an Air Force Base."

"Better known as Stargate Command!" Cameron said with a flourish, arms waving and all. "You're one lucky SOB, Agent McGee. Not many outsiders get a glimpse of our world, isn't that right, Jackson?"

"Just ignore him, Tim. He's obviously been raiding my chocolate stash while I've been gone." Daniel glared at the overly excited Colonel.

Cameron shrugged. "Vala told me where it was, so it's her fault." He said in his defense. "That girl can sniff out chocolate through a solid steel bulk head."

The conversation ended as they entered the briefing room. Both men sat in their usual spots; Cameron beside Teal'c and Daniel beside Vala. Daniel then motioned for Tim to take a seat on the other side of Cameron, wanting to save him from Vala's advances. Once all was seated, they turned towards the General at the head of the table. Then Daniel began his explanation as to why Tim was there.


	5. Chapter 5

"So, you were married?" McGee broached the subject that had been weighing on his mind since he had found out, just this morning actually.

Daniel laid down his pen and turned towards his brother, who was focused on the many books lining the bookshelves in his office. "I was." He acknowledged. "Her name was Sha're and I loved her very much."

McGee turned hearing the sadness in Daniel's voice. "What happened to her?" All Vala had said was that Daniel had been married but not anymore. He didn't know if her vague statement had been on purpose, to protect Daniel's privacy, or if she truly didn't know what happened to his wife.

"She was taken, along with her brother, Skaara, from Abydos. The last time I saw her she tried to kill me." Daniel had long since gotten over the loss of his beloved wife but that didn't mean it hurt any less.

"What? Isn't Abydos the first planet you guys visited?" McGee didn't understand. "Back up a minute. You were married to an honest to goodness _alien_?"

Daniel shook his head. "Sha're's people, along with millions of others, were taken from Earth and transplanted on thousands of different planets. She was as human as you or me." He picked up his one and only picture of his wife and showed it to Tim.

McGee took the picture and smiled. "She's very pretty." And it was true. Who would have thought Danny Jackson would have exotic tastes in women? Surely not him.

"She was." Daniel agreed. "But sometimes I think she would have lived longer had she married one of her people instead of me."

"How _did _you meet?" McGee asked, handing back the precious picture.

Daniel blushed and looked down at his hands. Even after all these years he still was embarrassed to tell the story of how he and Sha're met. "It was a misunderstanding between us and her people that brought us together. Before I could fully understand their traditions and customs, Sha're had been given to me as a wife. Had I declined, her family and people would have taken offense. I was uncomfortable at first but sometime during our stay I fell in love with her. So when Jack and the others returned to Earth, I chose to stay behind."

McGee sat back down in his previously vacated chair. "You said the last time you saw her, she tried to kill you?" By the tone of Daniel's voice, he could tell this story was not going to have a happy ending.

"Like I said, she was taken, made a host, along with her brother. The Goa'uld inhabiting her tried to kill me and she would have succeeded if Teal'c hadn't stopped her." Daniel paused then continued. "I left Abydos to join SG-1 to find her and in the end I did. At least now I know she is at peace." Once he finished his tale, he found himself enveloped in a hug by the eavesdropping Vala.

"I'm so sorry, Daniel." Vala tightened her arms around Daniel. "She's much better off now than when she was a host." She assured him, having been a host herself in the past.

"Were you eavesdropping on our conversation?" McGee asked with a raised eyebrow. He may have only been at the SGC for a day but he was already on his way to figuring out the quirks of the flagship team.

Vala unwrapped herself from Daniel and turned to face Tim. "Yes but not initially." She hurried to defend herself. "Mitchell sent me on a very important mission. I am to tell you two lab rats that the information you requested has arrived but you're not going to like it." She looked proud of herself.

Daniel stared at Vala, long and hard, having recovered from her impromptu hug. "You were annoying him again, weren't you?"

"Why must you _always_ think the worst of me, Daniel?" Vala demanded to know as she sat herself down onto Tim's lap, using him as a chair.

"Because I know you! And because Cameron could have just called!" Daniel shot back, motioned towards the phone on the wall, then sighed having been baited by her once again. "Out!" He pointed to the door.

Vala rolled her eyes, gave Tim a peck on the cheek, then skipped out of the office, ponytails bouncing.

McGee watched her leave then turned his smirking face to Daniel. "You like her!" He said in a sing-song voice.

Daniel glared at his little brother. "I most certainly do _not_!" He denied, fiercely, as he pushed away from his desk and headed out of his office/lab.

Not thinking twice, McGee followed after Daniel. "So where are we heading? She didn't say where Mitchell was, did she?"

"No, she didn't." Daniel entered the elevator and inserted his access card into the slot above the buttons; this granted his access to the more restricted areas of the SGC. He pushed the correct button and watched as numbers began to move.

McGee blinked. "Then how do you know where to go?"

Daniel titled his head to the side. "I _just_ know he'll be in Sam's lab. How do I know this? Because were a team, maybe?" He didn't questions things, not really, not anymore, not after everything he had seen and done. Once the elevator arrived, her exited and lead the way to Sam's lab. "Vala said you got something we won't like?" He shot a look at the innocently looking Vala, now perched on the edge of the large lab table.

Colonel Cameron Mitchell, leader of SG-1, stopped spinning around in the chair once the rest of his team, plus one, arrived. "You betcha you're not going to like it!" He motioned towards a file folder laying in the middle of the empty lab table, Sam either packed everything away or took it with her to Atlantis. "Navy's refusing to release information, other than what's in that folder, about Admiral Timothy McGee Sr's death. Seems that they can't release information regarding an open investigation." He looked past Daniel and at Tim.

"What?" McGee gathered up the folder and flipped through it. There wasn't much there and what was, was so badly censored that you could only make out a word or two amongst the blackened out lines of text. "I don't understand." He looked at the leader of SG-1. "When I took my leave, it was because no one would listen to me about dad. I was told in no uncertain terms that if I wanted to prove that he had been murdered, I'd have to do it myself."

"It would appear that you were lied to, Timothy McGee." Teal'c said from his spot beside Cameron. "Is someone attempting to orchestrate a cover up, Colonel Mitchell?"

"Well, I'm not sure, Teal'c. But if it sounds like a cover up, feels like a cover up, and tastes like a cover up, then I'd say that it's a cover up. Anyone else agree?" Cameron looked around at the gathered people.

"I do!" Vala raised her hand and bounced in her seat. "Definitely sounds like a cover up to me. Your people are well versed in the art of manipulation and lying, are they not?"

"Who's handling the investigation?" Daniel asked not entirely dismissing Cameron's theory because anything was possible when the rogue NID were involved.

Cameron leaned back in his chair. "Something called the NTSBCIS or something like that." He dismissed. "I can never keep all the letters straight when it comes to government Agencies. I blame my grandmother for that, taught me to spell things out, she did. Got smacked in the head when I didn't."

Daniel rolled. "Got smacked in the head a lot, did you? That...that actually explained a lot, Mitchell."

McGee snorted at the good natured ribbing that was going on. "Do you mean NCIS?"

"Yes! That's it!" Cameron pointed at Tim and gave him a large smile. "Good work, boy. We get to keep him after this is over, Jackson? He's way smarter than Pippy over there." He used his thumb to point over his shoulder at Vala. "When Sam left, I felt the IQ of the team drop way down there. It's just you, Jackson, and Teal'c keeping us looking good in front of the other teams."

"Why would NCIS be investigating my dads death when it was the Director that told me I'd have to investigate on my own?" McGee wondered, aloud.

Teal'c was the only one to answer. "That appears to be the question to answer, Timothy McGee."

**

* * *

**

"Has anyone heard from McGee?" Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs asked as he strolled into his teams little section of NCIS. He sat his half empty cup of coffee onto the corner of his desk as he removed his coat and tossed it over his chair.

"Not a peep, boss." Senior Agent Anthony 'Tony' DiNozzo spoke up, from in front of the plasma, before Ziva could. "No answer at his house or cell. It's like he dropped off the face of the Earth. Maybe he's in Never Never Land?"

Gibbs finished his coffee, tossed the cup into his garbage can then proceeded to smack Tony on the back of the head. "Ziva?"

"I have walked, as well, Gibbs." Ziva moved out from around her desk and joined the two men in front of the plasma which was currently displaying a picture of Admiral Timothy McGee Sr.

Tony couldn't resist. "The phrase is struck out, Zee-va." He corrected with an arrogant smile before turning back to the screen. "Did anyone know that McGeek was the son of an Admiral? Or that he was a junior?"

Ziva glared at Tony but let his correction of her American slang pass. "I was unaware that he had any family besides Sarah."

"He was estranged from his father." Director Jenny Sheppard said from the stairs above where she had been observing the team for the last couple of minutes. She descended the stairs and joined them. "And he had the junior legally dropped from his name when he turned eighteen." She stared at the handsome man on the screen. It was clear that Tim got his boyish good looks from his father. "Did anybody think to call Sarah?" When nobody answered, she sighed. "Tim called her this morning, said he was staying with Daniel." She removed the mouse/pointer from Tony's hand and clicked on something, pulling up a file and a picture, before any of them could ask any questions. "Meet Daniel Jackson, Tim and Sarah's _older_ brother."


	6. Chapter 6

Gibbs stared at the picture on the screen. Usually archived photos came from the DMV but this one had more of a military ID feel to it even though the man in the photo wasn't wearing a uniform of any kind. "I've seen him before." He mumbled more to himself than his team. A few seconds later he still couldn't place where he had seen the younger man before. "He's McGee's brother? Why isn't he listened in his personnel file?" He directed the question towards the Director.

Tony took a step towards the plasma to get a better look at the man on the screen. "There are more McGeek's out there running around?" He asked seriously as he continued to study the photo. "Is this one a computer nerd too?"

Jenny waited until she was sure all the questions that were going to be asked were asked before answering. "This is _Doctor_ Daniel Jackson." She clicked the mouse causing the screen to fade into another, different, one. "He isn't listed in Agent McGee's file because they aren't related, technically." She focused on the back of Tony's head. "He isn't a computer nerd, DiNozzo, but he is a genius. He has PhDs in Archeology, Anthropology, and Philology."

"So how is he his brother when they aren't related?" Tony asked as he moved away from the plasma and joined Ziva in leaning against McGee's desk.

"Daniel Jackson is an extra child, yes?" Ziva still was getting used to American terminology.

"Simply put, yes he is, Ziva. Daniel was eight when his parents were killed. His only living relative passed on custody to the State of New York. He was in the foster care system only a week before ending up with the McGee's. He was their ward until he turned sixteen and entered his sophomore year of college. According to Sarah, he broke off all contact with his foster parents but kept in regular contact with herself and Tim."

"And you say he's staying with foster brother?" Gibbs asked as he studied the new photo on the screen. "Is that the President he's shaking hands with?" He asked after a moment.

Tony pushed off his desk to study the new photo. "It is the President!" He exclaimed. "Why is an archeologist shaking hands with the President of the United States of America?"

Jenny fought back the smirk that was threatening to make itself known. It wasn't everyday that something flustered Gibbs and his team; they were the best after all. "That is, indeed, the President. This picture was taken at a banquet just days after President Hayes was elected. He's receiving the President's Award for Distinguished Federal Civilian Service. It's not his first either."

Gibbs frowned. "So McGee is off visiting his brother just days after his fathers death? Has he made any arrangements for the body?"

"He arranged everything before he left. I got to tell you Jethro, Tim was rather upset when he requested that his fathers suicide be investigated and I turned him down. I was unaware that the President himself was going to order this investigation. I imagine that's why he decided to visit his brother now." Jenny informed the gathered Agents.

"He thought his father was murdered?" Gibbs asked in mild surprise. "He give a reason why?"

Jenny shook her head. "He just said that his father would never have committed suicide. I just chalked it up to a grieving son until the Presidential order came down. By that time Tim was already gone."

Gibbs turned his gaze to his former lover. "Well, get him back!" He snapped, upset that the red head had dismissed one his Agents' concerns so casually.

"I can't just get him back Jethro. Timothy took two weeks off and Sarah flat out refused to tell me where Daniel lives. She said her brother had to grieve in his own way and she didn't want us making it worse." Jenny crossed her arms over her chest.

Ziva felt the tension begin to rise so she moved in to try and defuse the situation. "Can you not just look up his address, Director?" She asked, calmly, motioning towards the plasma that was tied into their computers.

"Hey, Zee-va's right!" Tony gave Ziva a look. "Just look up Daniel Jackson and once you find his address, Ziva and I will go and fetch our wayward Elf Lord." It sounded like a good plan to him.

Jenny frowned. Gibbs was rubbing off on his Agents, even the once outcasted Mossad Officer was beginning to sound like their boss. "Daniel Jackson currently resides in Colorado Springs, Colorado. He's a civilian consultant based out of Cheyenne Mountain."

Tony clapped his hands together. "Alrighty then! Ziva let's go!" He headed around his desk to pick up his pack but was stopped when Gibbs let out a sharp whistle. "Huh?" He turned to look at his boss.

"You two aren't going anywhere." Gibbs frown had deepened at the info Jenny had just revealed. "He's Air Force?" He asked once he had stopped his overzealous Agent from leaving.

"He might be a civvie but he's definitely Air Force." Jenny acknowledged with a brisk nod.

"I am confused." Ziva hadn't moved from her reclining position against the desk. "We are not to retrieve McGee?"

Jenny shook her head. "McGee is currently off limits, orders from SecNav." She should have told them that to begin with but she was telling them now.

"What's so special about this Doctor Jackson and Cheyenne Mountain?" Tony may have been slow sometimes on the uptake but he could tell that the SecNav was worried about them stumbling onto something and it _didn't_ involve their wayward Agent. Putting two and two together really wasn't that hard.

Gibbs sighed. "Dammit Jenny!" He glared at the Director. "You think McGee knows what big brother is doing and went to him for help since his own agency turned him down?"

"That's one theory, yes." Jenny grimpsed at the look she was receiving. Not many people received the special Gibbs death glare. Then she realized that he was worried about the young Agent. "Or he could have just went to his brother for comfort in his time of grief."

Tony looked between his two bosses and frowned. "What's going on? How can a civilian consultant help McGee solve his fathers murder, if he really was murdered?"

Gibbs leveled his gaze on Tony, it softened just slightly. "You've heard of Groom Lake, right? Area 51?"

"Of course, Boss. Who hasn't?" Tony tilted his head to the side having no idea where Gibbs was going with this.

"Cheyenne Mountain is also an Air Force operated base. It's referred to as Area 52. It's a rumor that Groom Lake and Cheyenne Mountain are sister bases." Gibbs explained as his gaze returned to the photo still displayed.

Tony blinked. "You're talking about aliens, right?" He seemed skeptical, actually, very skeptical.

"He's talking about classified projects, DiNozzo!" Ziva smacked him on the back of the head after Gibbs gave her the _look_. "They are saying that mild mannered Doctor Daniel Jackson is involved in a classified project that nobody wants to talk about and even less knows about. You call it Special ops, yes?" She looked from the Director to Gibbs and back again.

Gibbs gave Ziva one of his rare smiles usually reserved for Abby. "Very good." He eyed the young Mossad Officer for a moment. "Do you know him, Ziva?" He asked as he motioned towards the plasma.

Ziva met Gibbs gaze and held it. "I...know...him, yes. We ran into each other, a number of years ago, in Egypt." A small little smile tugged on her lips as she broke the gaze. "We played together as children. His parents were American archeologists who divided their time between Egypt and Israel. Daniel was born during one of their digs in Acre." She looked up again, the memories once again locked away. "What Daniel does is classified not only by the United States Government but by my Government as well. I will not speak of it."

Jenny wasn't surprised that Ziva knew what was going on when they didn't. "Is McGee in any danger?"

"No, I do not believe so. McGee is a capable Agent. His skills have improved much over the past couple months. The fact that he is Daniel's brother, will keep him safe. _Their _friends and families are protected. I would not be surprised if they asked him to join the _Project_." Ziva sounded sure of herself and that's because she was. McGee would not be harmed. Because of his skills, he'd be respected, more so than he was working for NCIS.

"You think that after this is all said and done with, if he has indeed went to his brother for help, they'd offer him a job?" Gibbs asked. He didn't know why but this newfound information made him uncomfortable. "Well, as long as McGee isn't in any trouble, then we should get to work." He moved away from the plasma and sat down behind his desk. "DiNozzo, go check and see if Ducky has found anything yet! Ziva, pull Admiral McGee's bank and phone records for me!" He barked.

The two Agents scurried to do as they were told.

The Director watched for a moment as the team got to work before setting the mouse down on the desk and moving away, heading towards her own office to make a few discreet inquires.

**

* * *

**

"So what do we do now?" McGee asked as he tossed the useless folder down onto the desk.

"Now? Now we wait." Cameron crossed his arms over his chest.

"Wait? How is that going to help us to find out who killed Tim's dad?" Daniel asked as he shot his friend and team leader a glare.

Cameron grinned. "Well, we seem to be in Colorado while everything pertaining to this case is all the way in Washington D.C. Now, we could get a lift from Odyssey or we could let the CNBC people do the work for us. They have the connections and know the area a whole lot better than we do, except for maybe Tim there."

McGee was quiet for a moment. "So you're saying that we should let NCIS do all the leg work then...what?"

"Then we go there and get whatever they've gathered and finish the investigation ourselves. They're going to dead-end once they reach the NID, if they get that far. They can get all the non-classified information then we take it and add to it what we know." Cameron was proud of his idea and it showed.

Daniel blinked. "That's actually a good idea." He looked over at his brother. "It'll get solved faster this way." He told him, gently. "It would take double the time if we went there and tried to do it all ourselves. We've all been to D.C. but I don't think any of us has spent any real time there to actually know where everything is."

McGee was conflicted at first. His team was going to do all the work then SG-1 was going to swoop in and take the case away from them. It wasn't going to make his NCIS teammates happy but then again it was the Director that had basically told him to go screw himself. "Alright. We'll let them do the dirty work then we'll take over." He could help but feel drawn to this group of people. They seemed to respect him more than his own teammates did. "What am I going to do until then? Go home?"

Cameron grinned. "Nawh, I have a better idea. We've been a man sort ever since Sam took command of Atlantis and Daniel's been bragging about how good with computers you are. How would you like to be temporary assigned to SG-1?"

"Really?" McGee didn't know what to say. "Would I be able to do go offworld with you or would I be tied to a computer all day?" That thought didn't thrill him like it once did. He wanted to be out doing something.

"SG-1 is a field unit, darling. We don't save the world from attacking desktop computers." Vala gave the young man a grin. "But in order to go offworld you must sleep with me first. Think you can do that?"

"Vala!" Daniel barked when he saw the blush creeping up Tim's neck and cheeks. "She's right about us being a field unit but _not_ about sleeping with her. You'd have to be cleared first which is basically a psych-eval and if Vala can pass it, so can you. And since you're an active Special Agent, General Landry will pull your records and if everything checks out..." He trailed off. "But only if you want to."

McGee looked from face to face then grinned. "Sure, why not? This is a once in a lifetime opportunity, isn't it? I'd be crazy to pass on it." He nodded his head once to make sure they understand him. "Where do I sign up?"

Vala pushed herself off her perch and sauntered up to Tim, taking a hold of one of his arms and drawing him towards the door. "First you must get a locator chip implanted because we have a habit of getting ourselves kidnaped. The chip saves us from having to kill some uninformed yokel." She explained as she drug him down the corridor.

Daniel watched them do before turning back to Cameron. "You did clear this with the General, didn't you?"

"Indeed he did, Daniel Jackson. I was present when he made the request. General Landry seemed most pleased about the idea." Teal'c explained as he, too, left the room.

"Come on, Jackson, let's go make sure Vala doesn't do something to traumatize your little brother." Cameron clasped Daniel on the shoulder and steered him out of the empty office.

"I think this will be good for him." Daniel said once they were on the elevator and heading for the infirmary. "Whenever I talked to him he always seemed so frustrated with his team. I don't think they treated him very well."

Cameron listened to Daniel as they exited the elevator and headed down the corridor. "He's in good hands here, Daniel. No one will treat him badly, you know that. We take care of our own." He said as they stepped into the infirmary and the chaos Vala had managed to cause in that short period of time.

Daniel couldn't help but chuckle at the antics he was seeing before him. Tim would fit in just fine here because _everybody_ fit in at the SGC.


	7. Chapter 7

"Welcome back, SG-1!" General Landry was thrilled to see the team arrive back home, bloody, but in one piece. His eyes moved over the five exhausted figures standing on the ramp. "We'll debrief after you've been checked out in the infirmary." He motioned the pre-summoned medical team forward then disappeared out of the Gateroom.

"Thank you, sir." Colonel Cameron Mitchell felt his remaining strength fade and he sagged against the two Airmen that had been assigned to help him to the infirmary. His team was already there and being checked out when he finally arrived.

"Does this hurt, Tim?" Doctor Lam asked as she gently moved his swollen left wrist.

McGee hissed in pain as his wrist began to throb anew. "It wasn't hurting until you moved it." He bit out, gruffly. His eyes moved around to his teammates who occupied the other four beds in the infirmary.

Doctor Lam motioned for one of her nurses to retrieve a wheelchair. Tim would have to have an x-ray. "So what happened this time?" She was trying to distract him as she checked him out. He had a number of cuts and scrapes, some were new and some were left over from a previous mission.

"We gated into the middle of chaos. Turns out the locals weren't as defenseless as SG-13 thought. When we arrived they had been fighting the Ori's army for three days. I guess they mistook us for the enemy and started to fire on us. They chased us away from the Gate and into the surrounding forest. Which was a treat since the forest was swarming with spiders the size of yorkies." McGee grunted when he was helped down off the examine table and into a wheelchair. "It's broken, isn't it?" He asked before he could be whisked off to x-ray.

"I believe so but the x-ray should be able to tell us for sure." Doctor Lam patted him on the shoulder as the nurse wheeled him out. "Spiders the size of yorkies?" She asked the remaining members of SG-1 as she wrote down something in Tim's medical file then moved onto Daniel.

Daniel grimpsed in pain as she prodded a bruise on the side of his face and grunted his acknowledgment. "We had been wondering why the villagers didn't follow us into the trees and it didn't take us long to figure out why. Tim was injured when he walked into one of the webs which happened to be the size of this room and damn near impossible to see. The more he pulled the tighter it held him. He would have gotten out, unharmed, eventually if one of those spiders hadn't come home looking for dinner. By the time we heard his screams, he was laying on the ground holding his wrist."

Doctor Lam picked up Daniel's chart from the end of the bed, she never removed SG-1's charts because they always seemed to end up there one way or another, and began to jot down several notes about his injuries, one being that she was sure he had at least a mild concussion. "How'd he get out of the web?" She asked as she moved away to retrieve the items she needed to stitch up a nasty looking abrasion above Daniel's right eye.

Teal'c, the less injured of the entire team, decided to answer. "Timothy McGee was able to reach his knife and cut himself free. It was unfortunate that he was so far above the ground when he did." He had a healthy respect for the young man. Tim had proven himself time and time again over the past two weeks. He gave the nurse treating his scratches a small smile. "Thank you, Nurse Kiley." He reached up to smooth out the two butterfly band-aids she used to close a large, shallow, cut across his cheek.

"Then I suppose he should be glad that a broken wrist and a few scrapes is all he escaped with." Doctor Lam said as she moved back to Daniel's side, everything she needed to stitch with was loaded onto a tray. She gave Doctor Jackson a local and went to work closing the wound so that it wouldn't get infected. By the time she had finished, Tim had returned now sporting a simple white cast. _Broken, just like I thought._ She thought to herself and gave the young man a small smile. "Your turn, Doctor Jackson. I want to see how bad your concussion is." She motioned to the previously occupied wheelchair then helped him into it. "Don't let him sweet talk you out of wheeling him back. I want him in the chair to and from, got it?" She asked her nurse who only nodded and disappeared out the door with a disgruntled Daniel Jackson in tow.

McGee made himself comfortable in a stool situated between Daniel and Teal'c's examine tables. "Hey, we match now!" He pointed to Teal'c cheek and his forehead where he had, on a previous mission, been injured by a flying piece of stone.

"Indeed we do, Timothy McGee." Teal'c inclined his head towards the younger man. "How is your wrist?"

"Sore but not as throbby as it had been." McGee gave Teal'c a reassuring smile to show that he was feeling better.

Doctor Lam inspected the cast and nodded when she found nothing wrong with it; her nurses were good. "I'll give you something for the pain once I finish with the others. Can you wait that long?"

McGee nodded. "I'll be fine, Doctor. Check on Vala and make sure she's alright." He liked the exotic alien, she kinda reminded him of Ziva.

"Very well." Doctor Lam moved away from the males of the team and approached the only female. "How are you feeling, Vala?" She asked the lounging woman.

Vala snorted and opened her eyes. "Oh, I'm feeling wonderful, Darling, simply wonderful." She rolled her eyes and sat up, stiffly. "I enjoy being covered in mud and something that vaguely smells like feet. I believe what you meant to ask is if I was injured anywhere not visible and the answer would be yes." She lowered her voice and leaned towards the Doctor. "I seemed to have bruised my bottom" She pointed to the object in question. "But I'm sure it'll be fine once Timmy kisses it and makes it all better, right Tim?" She asked and winked at him.

"Not if you were the last woman left on this planet." McGee deadpanned then smirked. "But I'm sure Daniel will be more than happy to oblige once he returns from getting his head x-rayed." He rolled his eyes when she stuck her tongue out at him. "Real mature, Vala." He mumbled then grimaced as pain shot through his wrist. Taking a deep breath, he fought it back.

Doctor Lam sighed as she watched the premier team revert to childish behavior. "And how did you bruise your bottom, Vala?" She questioned as she retrieved the only female member of the teams file.

McGee raised an eyebrow waiting to see what Vala told her. When his female teammate didn't say anything he found himself answering the Doctor. "She was showing off her..._tracking_...skills and fell off the log she was climbing on into a puddle of smelly, muddy, water."

"At least _I_ didn't get stuck in a spider web!" Vala huffed and crossed her arms over her chest. "Are we finished yet? I really need a shower." She grumped.

"And we don't?" McGee asked as he looked down at his own muddy BDU's. Their jackets had been removed the moment they arrived in the infirmary so that meant they were still wearing their black t-shirts and matching pants.

Vala crinkled her nose as she turned to look at her temporary teammate. "You are kinda smelly." She gave Teal'c an apologetic smile. "Sorry, Muscles, but that goes for you too."

"Don't make me separate you two!" Doctor Lam snapped, turned, and headed towards Colonel Mitchell who appeared to be the most injured of the lot. "Colonel Mitchell, can you tell me where you're hurt?" She questioned the prone man. Closer inspection showed that he was unconscious. "What happened to him?" She asked the three remaining teammates as she went to work searching for injuries.

Teal'c turned his head towards the Doctor. "Colonel Mitchell took an arrow to the shoulder before we reached the tree line. We removed it and treated the wound the best we could. He refused to take something for the pain."

"Refused it putting it mildly." Daniel arrived in time to hear Teal'c explanation of Cameron's wound and how he received it. "He was being a pain in the ass." He waved off the nurse that was going to help him back onto the examine table. "He refused the Morphine then complained the entire time that his shoulder hurt. If we hadn't made it to the Gate when we did, I was going to give him _something_ to complain about." He grumbled as he got himself situated on the table once again.

Doctor Lam motioned for one of her nurses to help her strip the Colonel from the waist up so she could get a good look at the arrow wound. She inspected the slightly red hole. It was infected but not terribly so. The team had done a pretty good job cleaning and wrapping it. "Lucky for him that his teammates are so versed in treating field wounds. He'll be fine." She assured them and hooked up an IV Antibiotic to fight off the slight infection he developed. Then she moved over to her phone and placed a call to the General. If he wanted to debrief them, he'd have to come to them because she wasn't releasing any of them until the morning.

General Hank Landry entered the recovery section of the infirmary an hour and a half later. He surveyed the five occupied beds and shook his head. "Deja-vu." He mumbled under his breath. SG-1 had been out of the infirmary only three days when SG-13 reported that the inhabitants of PRK-985 were being harassed by the rogue Ori army. They also reported that the planet would fall if the SGC didn't do something to help. So he did what anybody in his place would have done. He sent the still mending SG-1 to survey the situation and report back with any ideas as to how they could help. That happened two and a half days ago. "I'm glad to see everybody made it back in one piece." A small, fond, smile made its way onto his hardened face. He had to admit that SG-1 had a special place in his heart.

McGee cracked an eye open and smiled. "Mostly." He lifted up his wrist to show the General his cast. "We were lucky, sir." He kept his voice low since Cameron and Daniel were sleeping.

"SG-1 has plenty of that, son." General Landry made his way to Tim's bedside and sat in the chair that sat between his and Cameron's beds. "I just got off the phone with the President, he wants the SGC to take over the NCIS investigation into your fathers death. Seems that they've been poking around in places they shouldn't. It's making everybody on the hill nervous."

"They've been inquiring about the NID, sir?" McGee asked as he shifted in the bed to get comfortable. His eyes felt heavy from the Morphine drip but he fought the urge to sleep so he could listen to the General.

General Landry nodded. "Not so much inquiring as demanding. Someone by the name of Gibbs isn't taking _Classified_ for an answer."

McGee snorted. "Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs used to be my boss. He also used to be a Marine. He's good at what he does, General. He doesn't take stonewalling very well." He mumbled, eyes closing just a bit. "What happens now?"

"Now? Now I send the SGC's top team in to retrieve the evidence and put a stop to Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs' demands for answers. Think SG-1 is up for the mission, Tim?" The General had to smile as he watched the younger man fight to stay awake.

"SG-1 is always up for a mission but not now, 'kay? Maybe tomorrow?" McGee finally gave in and drifted off to sleep.

General Landry stood, places a hand on the boys shoulder, squeezed it, and moved away. "Tomorrow sounds fine." He stopped when he heard a voice call out to him. Turning, he resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "What can I do for you, Vala?"

"Aren't you going to read me a bedtime story, General?" Vala asked in her best pouting voice. She loved to annoy the General.

"If you were two, I might consider it. But since you're, what, forty years old? I think you'll manage without one." General Landry told her.

Vala's eyes widened. "You don't have to be cruel about it!" She huffed and carefully turned over so she was facing away from the General. "Forty?! The nerve of some men!" She grumbled loud enough for him to hear her.

General Landry chuckled then went off in search of his daughter, who also happened to be the base Doctor. He needed the low down on his best team because the sooner they got to D.C. the better.

**

* * *

**

Gibbs stormed up the stairs, his hand clenched around a piece of stark white paper, and headed towards the Directors office. He breezed past Cynthia's desk, ignoring her pleas for him to stop.

"Special Agent Gibbs! You can't……ugh! That man!" Cynthia said, standing up then sitting back down again once the door was open and Gibbs was already in the director's office. She began to grumble under her breath as she picked up her typing where she left off.

"Well, that was a dramatic entrance." Jenny said, taking off her glasses and setting them down on her desk. "To what do I owe the honor, Jethro?"

Slamming the door shut, Gibbs stalked to the Directors desk and tossed the crumpled paper down in front of her. "What is that?!" He demanded to know.

Jenny picked up her glasses and slid them back onto her face. She picked up the paper and glanced over the text written on it. "It would appear to be a memo from the SecNav." She looked up at him waiting for him to explain.

Gibbs began to pace the length of the room. "I _know_ what it is, Jenny!" He snapped. "Did you know about it?"

Blinking, Jenny reread the couple lines. Sitting back in her chair, she removed her glasses once again and laid them off to the side. "I wasn't aware of this, Jethro. If I had been, I would have told you." Now she knew what had the Senior Agent so worked up.

"Any decisions dealing with _my_ team should go through me!" Gibbs stopped his pacing and stood in front of the Directors desk.

Jenny calmly watched Gibbs as he continued to simmer. "It would appear that McGee's talents are needed elsewhere for the time being. It isn't unheard of, Jethro. Agents are moved around more than you'd think."

Gibbs sat down in one of the two chairs facing the desk. "Yes, Agents are moved around within NCIS. But that paper is stating that McGee is now a Civilian Consultant for the Air Force in Colorado! What possible use could the Air Force have for a computer geek!?" He demanded to know.

"McGee is very gifted when it comes to computers, Gibbs. He has a Masters in Computing Forensics from MIT not to mention his BS in Biomedical Engineering from John Hopkins. He's a good catch and we were just lucky that he chose to come work for us." Jenny explained. "Ziva did mention that they might have interest in him. Besides that, it only says that the reassignment is temporary. He'll be back." She said this to convince herself as well as Jethro.

"Yeah well, the Air Force better send him back in the same condition as he left here in. If they brake him, they buy him." Gibbs grumped and squeezed the bridge of his nose as he felt a headache forming behind his eyes; it wasn't even nine o'clock in the morning yet.

Jenny couldn't help but wonder if McGee's skills would be better served elsewhere. Sure Gibbs' team was the best but she knew that they all gave McGee a hard time for being different than them. He leaned more towards the academic and the computing while Tony and Ziva preferred to be out in the field doing something. And Gibbs understand little or nothing about computers. Timothy McGee was the oddball out and she had a feeling that he knew it. It just surprised her that he lasted as long as he did. If it had been her getting picked on everyday by people that were suppose to be your teammates, she would have gone crazy or even requested a transfer. Blinking, she realized she hadn't heard a word Jethro had said. "How are you doing on the McGee case?" She asked, picking a safe subject to switch to.

Gibbs leaned back in his chair. "We've hit a deadend. Seems that the NID don't exist or at least that's the impression we've been getting. I think someone just doesn't want us digging so their telling us what they think we want to hear. And if we do find something, all we get is _we're sorry but that's classified._"

"If the NID does truly exist then it could be a classified organization." Jenny picked up her glasses and tapped them against her chin in thought. "And every time you poke and push, you're probably setting off red flags from here to the hill. I'd be careful if I was you, Jethro. If it is a cloak and dagger operation then they operate way outside the normal laws. They could make you and your team disappear without even batting an eyelash.

Standing, Gibbs moved towards the door. "What makes you think that isn't what I'm trying to do? Maybe if I rattle a few cages, I'll flush out some rats. Admiral McGee was murdered, Director. And I intend to find out by whom." With that said he yanked the door open and exited heading for bullpen and his team.

Jenny shook her head. If any Gibbs knew how many cages he had rattled in the past two weeks. Just last week she had to unruffle some feathers in Homeland Security. Seems that when he tried to do a background check on McGee's brother, Daniel, he was flagged as a potential terrorist. Jethro had no idea how close he came to being arrested and carted away. If the President himself hadn't ordered them to look into Admiral McGee's death, she would have told her Agents to put it on the back burner until things calmed down. She just hoped that Gibbs backed off slightly before he pissed off the wrong people or got himself and his team into trouble that she couldn't fix with a few phone calls.


	8. Chapter 8

"Gibbs is going to freak when he finds out about this." Tony held up a piece of paper that the Pentagon just faxed to them.

Ziva looked up from her magazine and raised an eyebrow. "And that is something new?" She asked in confusion having already read the fax.

Tony rolled his eyes and slammed the paper back down onto his desk as he stood. "Well, no..." He trailed off as he moved out from behind his desk and moved over to hers. "I was just pointing out that Gibbs isn't going to be happy."

"You were pointing out the obvious, Tony!" Ziva snapped and narrowed her eyes at her partner. How could she have had a crush on him of all people? "I would think he'd be happy to get rid of this case. It has proven to be an ache on all of us."

"Pain, Zee-va, not ache." Tony corrected, automatically. "And normally I'd agree with you but this case struck close to home. Hell, it broke down the door and made itself comfortable in the living room." He rolled his neck trying to get rid some of the tension that had been building over the last three weeks.

Ziva stared at him blankly not understanding what a house had to do with the McGee murder. Shaking her head, she decided to forgo asking him to explain. "So who do you think they will send?"

Tony rolled his neck towards her and paused to consider her question. "I dunno." He shrugged and perked himself on the corner of her desk. "Maybe Fornell?"

"You think the FBI is involved?" Ziva was really confused. "Why do you think this?"

"I don't think the FBI is involved in the McGee case, Ziva. I was just saying that maybe the Pentagon would ask Fornell to pick up the files. That way everything stays nice and safe." This explanation sounded very logical to Tony's ears.

"You two not have enough work to do?" Gibbs asked as he entered the squad room from the outside elevators. "Well?" He took off his jacket and tossed it onto the desk space behind his chair. Turning towards his Agents, coffee in hand, he waited for them to answer.

Ziva unconsciously straightened up in her chair, closed her magazine and tossed it aside. "We were just discussing the orders the Pentagon just faxed us." She hurried to explain their actions.

Gibbs took a sip of his coffee. "What fax?!" He barked at DiNozzo when neither of them elaborated.

Tony rushed to his desk and hurried to give Gibbs the fax. "This fax, boss!" He retreated back a few steps towards Ziva's desk.

Holding the paper, Gibbs sighed, finished his coffee, tossed the cup into the garbage, and smacked Tony on the back of the head as he approached Ziva's desk. "What does it say?" He asked slowly as if he was talking to a five year old.

"NCIS has been ordered to hand over everything pertaining to the McGee murder investigation. They do not feel that we have the resources to produce a result." Ziva paraphrased from memory.

Gibbs crumpled up the fax and tossed it onto Ziva's desk. _How dare they?_ "It say who they're sending to complete this task?"

"No, it didn't." Tony said after he cleared his throat. Tilting his head to the side he watched as Abby snuck off the back elevators and slunk towards the outside elevators. This was odd since Abby always made her presence know especially when Gibbs was around. "Hey Abs, where you off too?!" He yelled across the quiet room trying to get Gibbs attention off of him and onto the sneaking Forensic Scientist.

Abby froze and bit back a curse. She had been doing so well. "I knew I should have crawled." She grumbled as she plastered an overly large smile on her face. "Tony! Gibbs, when did you get in?!" She bounced over to her favorite NCIS team trying not to glance at her Nightmare Before Christmas watch; that would only make Tony even more suspicious.

Ziva smiled at the younger woman. "It is kind of early for lunch, is it not Abby?" She asked glancing at her watch. It was only nine in the morning.

"Lunch? No, I wasn't going to lunch." Abby shifted from foot to foot when three sets of eyes continued to stare at her. "I was...uh...going out for a smoke? Yeah, that's it!" She smiled, pleased with her answer.

"You don't smoke, Abs." Gibbs finally spoke as he eyed Abby. "How much caffeine have you had today?" She was acting like she had ants in her pants.

Tony raised an eyebrow at her answer. "You're acting kinda strange, Abby, even for you."

Abby huffed and crossed her arms over her chest. "Maybe I took up smoking, ever think of that, huh?" She shifted again, this time away from the group. "I'd really love to stay and chat but I need to go puff on a coupla cancer sticks." She turned and headed towards the elevator.

Gibbs' gut was telling him something was wrong. "Freeze!" He ordered the retreating girl that he considered a surrogate daughter.

"Are you trying to blow up work today, Abby?" Ziva asked as they approached the Goth.

"I think she means blow _off_ work, Abby." Tony gave Ziva a look that clearly said _you've been in America how long_?

"Where you really headed, Abs?" Gibbs asked in his quiet, patient, voice. A voice reserved solely for Abby.

"Torture me all you want, I'll never tell!" Abby declared as she pretended to zip her mouth shut. She sighed when they didn't back down. "I'm going out for a breath of fresh air, alright? I haven't been feeling well and I thought some good ol' D.C. air would do me some good." She glanced at her watch and saw that she didn't have much time.

Gibbs continued to eye her with a frown but he relented. "Okay, I just wanted the truth." He pushed the down button for her. He knew she was lying.

Abby felt bad about lying and when Abby felt bad about lying she tended to tell the truth. "I'm going to meet someone." She mumbled.

Tony's eyes lit up. "A new boyfriend?" He rubbed his hands together. "What's his name? What's he like? Come on, details!"

Ziva smacked Tony on the back of the head before Gibbs had the chance to do it. "Are you a fifteen year old girl, Tony?" She asked as she rolled her eyes, _again_.

"No, not a _new_ boyfriend, per say." Abby mumbled and kicked at the carpet with her steel toed boot. "Look, I said I'd meet them downstairs so Joe wouldn't have a problem." Joe being the security guard that thought himself the protector of the entire NCIS building. He always gave unauthorized visitors a hard time.

"An old boyfriend then?" Gibbs asked, quietly. Why was an old boyfriend of Abby's visiting NCIS?

Studying Abby, Ziva came to one conclusion; McGee was returning today but not alone and maybe not even for good. "Ah." She nodded her head at her own conclusion. "Perhaps we should let her go meet whomever she is suppose to meet, yes? I'm sure Abby knows what she is doing." She gave the other girl a look that clearly said _busted_.

Abby tilted her head to the side. "Thanks Ziva." She stepped into the elevator and pushed the down button before either of the overly protective men could stop her. Once the doors were closed, she smiled a giddy smile. McGee was coming!


	9. Chapter 9

McGee threw himself to the ground as a red energy discharge zipped passed his cheek, close enough that he felt its heat. As he landed and tucked himself into a roll, he failed to see the second enemy soldier until it was too late. With an _umpf_ he untucked just in time to feel three impacts through his protective gear; two hit his lower back and one caught him in the thigh. Laying on the ground, panting for breath, he looked up into the eyes of his captor. "You'll never take me alive!" There was a cold determination in his voice, as if he had to prove himself, as he raised his own weapon only to have it kicked from his hands.

"Don't need you alive to collect the reward, darling." This soldier was obviously female. "But I would truly _hate_ myself if I had to kill you." She kneeled down beside him and ran a finger down the side of his sweat and dirt streaked cheek. "Perhaps we could come to some sort of an...arrangement? I spare you if you tell me where your friends are, how does that sound? Hmm? Your life for theirs? Fitting, don't you think?"

"How do I know you won't kill me anyways?" McGee felt something sticky run down his leg then realized that he had been hit right where he had torn his pants earlier in the day; he got them snagged on a fallen tree and when he tried to free himself, they tore.

The soldier raised her eyebrow. "You'll just have to trust me." She raised her weapon and pointed it at his chest. "Or I could just kill you now. You decide."

McGee seemed to be seriously considering her offer. "I don't think so." He locked eyes with her. "You just don't strike me as the type to keep her word. So I suggest you kill me because I won't _ever_ tell you where my friends are!" Truth of the matter, he had no idea where the rest of his team was. They had been separated hours ago and he hadn't seen them since.

"I do _so_ keep my word, Timothy!" The soldier pouted in protest and stomped her foot. "I should shoot you for saying that!" She lowered the barrel of the weapon until it was trained someplace that would _really _hurt if she decided to pull the trigger.

"Whoa there, Vala!" Cameron stepped out of the trees followed by a dirty Daniel Jackson. Both were sporting splotches of yellow on their green BDU's. "No hitting below the belt, remember?" He folded his arms and rested them on his hanging mock-P-90; mock meaning they had been modified for training purposes.

Vala rolled her eyes and lowered her weapon, letting it fall to the side. "I still say that's a silly rule! The enemy doesn't care where they're aiming as long as they injure whoever they're firing at! And if it was me, _I'd_ be aiming for the jewels."

"Lucky for me you're on our side, then." McGee grunted as Teal'c, the only other member of Vala's team, helped him to his feel. He began to brush himself off and grimaced when his hand came in contact with the sticky splotches of paint left by successful paintball hits; the P-90's they were currently carrying had been modified to shoot paint balls and low level energy discharges that stung a person if hit once and knocked them unconscious if hit twice. He also rubbed his shoulder where he had been hit with one of the discharges. It was still stinging and slightly numb but not as bad as it had been. "Next time I'm on Teal'c's team." He mumbled.

"I would be honored to have you on my team, Timothy McGee." Teal'c inclined his head to the younger man in acceptance to his request.

"I told you that _aliens_ vs. _earthlings_ was a bad idea." Daniel spoke up for the first time since reuniting with the other members of SG-1. His comment was directed towards Cameron. "Vala _always _manages to capture one of us and Teal'c _always_ manages to shoot us. Next time _I'm _on Teal'c and Tim's team." He told the team leader as he wiped some paint off his cheek.

"Well, I'm not being on Mitchell's team." Vala crossed her arms over her paint free chest. "So it looks like it's going to be four against one, flyboy." She loved calling him that since it always seemed to irrate him.

Cameron rolled his eyes and ran a hand through his muddy hair. "You guys are just no fun!" He complained, good-naturedly. "Fine, you all team up but I get Sam next time she's planet side!"

Teal'c raised his eyebrow. "Then you are going to be waiting a long time, Colonel Mitchell. Colonel Carter isn't due back to Earth for six months and that is only to check in with IOA on her status as Atlantis' Commander."

"I can wait." Cameron said with a shrug. "Okay boys and girls, who's ready to hit the showers?" He turned on his heel and started down the hill towards the SGC training facility below. He couldn't wait for a shower. They'd been playing, training, all day. Before he could reach the first building that held the showers, a bright light enveloped him and he disappeared.

Tim blinked and tilted his head towards Daniel. "Uh...I think we're late." Just as the words left his mouth, he too, along with the others, were enveloped in the same bright light. When his vision cleared he was looking at the Captain of the Odyssey. "Yeah, late." He concluded, with a half nod, more to himself than his teammates.

Daniel glared at Cameron who was standing beside Captain Cooper. "I thought you said you'd keep an eye on the time!" He exploded out of frustration more than anything. Now they were either going to be extremely late, which wasn't an option, or they were going to have to forgo showering and changing. He took a calming breath before turning to survey his teammates. Vala and Teal'c had several pant splotches on their pants but nothing compared to him, Cameron, and Tim. None of them looked presentable enough to go to Washington on behalf of the Pentagon. "How long do we have before you have to transport us to D.C.?" He inquired.

Captain Owen Cooper wasn't surprised when SG-1 beamed aboard filthy and covered in training rounds; it was SG-1 after all. "About ten minutes, Doctor Jackson."

Vala grimaced at the news. "Ten minutes! That isn't enough time to shower!" She turned pleading eyes to Daniel. "I refuse to leave this vessel until I am properly cleaned!" And that was that.

"Jack's going to kill us." Daniel mumbled under his breath. "Give us a couple of minutes to find a sink and _try _to look presentable." This time he took point and lead them to the closest sink, which happened to be in one of the holding cells. "Everyone gets one minute to rinse their hair, faces, and arms off, okay?" He motioned towards Cameron to go first since the was practically covered in yellow paint. When he heard the water turn on, he disappeared out the door to go in search of some clean clothes. Two minutes later he returned with an arm full of mismatched BDU's. "They haven't restocked since the last mission." He said as he dropped the clothes onto the cot and stepped up to the sink to rinse off. A few seconds later his hair was paint free as was his arms and face. He stepped out of the way so Teal'c could go.

Standing off to the side, already scrubbed, Tim eyed the pile of BDU's. "I don't think there is enough for all of us." He looked down at himself and shook his head. "I guess we should just change whichever looks the worse, right?" He looked towards Cameron and Daniel.

Cameron smiled and slapped McGee on the back. "Good idea, Tim!" He pulled out a pair of pants and shirt then started to debate with himself which he needed worse. After a moment he tossed the shirt back onto the pile and moved over to a corner of the room to change his pants.

Daniel grabbed the shirt Cameron discarded and moved away to change as well.

Tim dug through until he found a pair of pants that would fit him and moved over to where his brother was to change. His shirt was bad too but it was his pants that were torn. "How are we going to explain this?" He asked his brother as he pulled off his ruined pants and pulled on the clean ones.

Vala decided to change her pants since they were muddy and Teal'c decided that he was presentable enough as he was and dismissed the pile of clothes without so much as a glance.

"We tell them that we were pulled out of a training exercise and didn't have time to get all gussied up." Cameron answered as he tried to get his wet hair to lay flat on his head.

"General O'Neill is, indeed, going to be less than happy with our presentation." Teal'c added as he flicked a dry piece of paint from under his fingernails. "I believe he warned us to watch the clock and we did not."

"No, Mitchell didn't." Daniel agreed as he finished with the last button on his shirt. At least now they didn't look like they had just stepped out of a paintball war zone. "Who's suppose to be meeting us?"

"Abby Sciuto, she's NCIS' Forensic Specialist." Tim answered as he, unconsciously, brushed a hand down his shirt trying to get some of the wrinkles out.

"Didn't you used to date her?" Vala asked as she ran her fingers through her hair in loo of a hair brush.

Tim nodded. "Yeah, but that was a long time ago before I was promoted to field agent full-time. We're friends now."

Cameron smirked. "And you picked her out of all the others to greet us?"

"I picked her because she's the only one that wouldn't ask a lot of questions, at least not at first. I debated between her and Ducky but figured Ducky would tell Gibbs that I called." Tim told them. "I have been gone for awhile."

Daniel nodded in understanding. "True." Once he was sure everybody was done, he lead them back to the Captain so they could be transported to D.C. "Not too close, Captain, we don't want the locals asking any questions about our sudden appearance."

"No scaring the locals, got it, Doctor J." Captain Cooper liked Daniel and knew him from his time spent at the SGC on SG-12. His promotion to Captain of the Odyssey was fairly recent, only eight months old. "If everybody is ready?"

"We're good to go, Cooper." Cameron spoke up from beside Vala. "Beam us up...down...Scotty!" He couldn't help himself.

Captain Cooper nodded towards the woman behind the Asgard controls. "Just give us a call when you're ready for a ride home, SG-1." He passed the communication device to Daniel, along with their ID badges that would grant them access to NCIS, then stepped back.

The rest of SG-1 rolled their eyes at Cameron's lame attempt at humor then disappeared in the same bright light that brought them to the ship. Within seconds they were standing outside the NCIS building waiting for their escort.


	10. Chapter 10

"Well, this is incredibly boring." Vala grumbled as she shifted positions against the front of the building. "How long are we going to have to stand here?" She fiddled with her ID badge. "Doesn't this thing give us access to this _lovely_ drab looking building?"

"We're here on _official_ business, Vala." Daniel snapped tired of her complaining. "There are rules that have to be followed. One of those rules is that we wait for an escort so our motives don't appear hostile. If we waltz in and start ordering them around, the Agents are going to raise their guards and possibly make things difficult for us. We don't want that, do we?"

"He's right." McGee spoke before Vala could say something snarky which would cause an argument to blossom. "I used to work here, remember? I've seen Gibbs make things difficult for _a lot _of people, granted some deserved the hassle but some got it because he just didn't like them or was in a bad mood. We want to be in and out of here as quickly as possible and with _everything_ we came for."

Cameron said nothing appearing to be ignoring the three of them. "You ever been here before, Teal'c?" He asked the only silent member of his team, keeping his voice low so they wouldn't be overheard.

"I have no, Colonel Mitchell." Teal'c answered, his gaze never wavering from the front doors. He reached up and pulled his hat, bearing the Air Force name, down just a bit to make sure his forehead was covered. If he was honest with himself, he'd admit that he had forgotten to retrieve a proper head covering before leaving Odyssey. He would have beamed to the surface without one if Major Mason hasn't handed him his own hat just before they left the ship. He made a mental note to grant the young mans request for combat training as a thank you. "Timothy McGee, I believe your friend approaches." He inclined his head towards the doors and women exiting.

McGee promptly fell silent and turned towards the doors just as they were flung open by an overly excited Goth. Out of the entire NCIS team, as sad as it was, Abby was the one he missed the most. "Abs!" He exclaimed with a happy smile.

"McGee!" Abby threw herself at her former boyfriend turned friend and wrapped him in a giant Abby-eque hug. "I missed you, Timmy-boy." She mumbled into his neck since her face was buried there.

Vala smirked, pushed off the brick wall, and sauntered up to Cameron. "You owe me twenty dollars, flyboy." She said in a stage whisper so the others heard her.

Daniel rolled her eyes. "Firstly, you should know better than to bet with her, Mitchell, and secondly, what did you bet on this time?"

"Yes, Cameron, what did you bet on _this_ time?" McGee questioned over the top of Abby's head.

Abby opened her eyes, just realizing that Tim wasn't alone, and unwrapped her legs from around his waist; she had been _very_ happy to see him. Her feet landed on the concrete with a loud thud; she was wearing her favorite pair of black knee high combat boots. "Bet?" She whispered to her friend who wasn't looking at her but rather an attractive woman and a dashingly handsome man. "Friends of yours, McGee?" She questioned trying to recapture his attention.

"_He_ bet McGee's friend would be a blonde. _I_, on the other hand, bet she'd be dark haired. Tim does have particularly good taste, unlike the lot of you." Vala gave Tim a coy look followed by a wink.

"Why do I gotta pay you anything? I'm still waiting for you to pay _me_ from our last bet. Actually, both of you still owe me." Cameron looked from Vala to Tim then back to Vala. After making his point, he focused on Tim. "Don't be rude, Tim, introduce the pretty lady." His accent seemed to grow more pronounced.

McGee cleared his throat. "Right, sorry. Abby these are my teammates, Colonel Cameron Mitchell, Vala Mal Doran, Murray, and my brother, Doctor Daniel Jackson." He introduced them one by one. "Guys, this is the famous Abby Sciuto, best Forensic Specialist on the East Coast, maybe even the country."

Teal'c bowed his head to her. "It is an honor to finally meet you, Abby Sciuto. Timothy McGee has spoken, often, and highly of you."

"Whoa!" Abby blinked in surprise. "Your parents must have feed you _a lot _of Wheaties, huh?" He was huge! "It's nice to meet you as well eh...Murray. If I had know the Air Force grew them like that, I'd have gone to work for them in a heart beat."

"Murray isn't with the Air Force, Miss Sciuto, he's actually a civilian consultant like myself, Vala, and Tim. Mitchell's the only one actually an Air Force officer, well besides Sam, but she's away on another posting at the moment." Daniel explained.

Abby took a moment to look Daniel up and down. So this was Tim's brother? He was a hottie, she had to give him that. And by the way he spoke, he really was well educated. That just served to confirm what the file had said about him. "It's nice to meet you all." She gave them a smile. "Shall we proceed into the belly of the beast?" She spun on her heels and headed towards the doors.

Vala's smile faded, slightly. "Beast?!" She hissed out of the corner of her mouth. "You said nothing about slaying a beast! It had better not be another dragon because the last time we faced one, it tried to barbecue us! So not my idea of fun!" She ranted to the person beside her, which happened to be Tim. "If this outfit gets ruined, I'm holding _you_ personally responsible!"

Daniel elbowed Vala so she'd stop blabbing classified material to anybody listening with more than half an ear. "Tim has spoke of you often." He said as he caught up with Abby inside the doors. "He won't admit it but I think he misses you.." He said with a small smile as his teammates joined them inside.

Abby automatically liked Daniel, he reminded her a lot of Tim. "We _all_ miss him, Doctor Jackson." She motioned towards the metal detector. "It's standard procedure." She apologized.

Joe the Security Guard waved Abby around and was about to do the same to Agent McGee except he was already emptying his pockets like the others. After all was said and done all that lay in the basket was a pair of dog tags, five classy looking watches, and three little yellow balls that he knew to be paintball pellets. He then motioned them through.

SG-1 in its newest arrangement stepped through the metal detector one by one. And one by one all five of them set it off.

About to open her mouth and comment on how odd that was to Tim, Abby stopped when he, too, set it off. She watched as Joe ran the wand over each of them after receiving their word that they didn't have anything made of metal still on them; no jewelry, hidden piercings, etc. She watched as the wand beeped at different locations around their backs, shoulders, and necks. Upon closer inspection she realized that they weren't surprised by the guards findings even thought they were trying to act oblivious as to why the wand was beeping. After the guard patted them down, cleared them, and handed back their items, she lead them to the elevator. Once they were in the confines of the elevator, she chose to speak. "I'm sorry about your Dad, McGee, I wish you have told me." She couldn't help feeling hurt that he didn't tell her. They were friends, weren't they? Six months ago she would have had no problem in saying yes, but now she wasn't so sure.

"I wanted to but I was so angry that the Director dismissed me that I knew I couldn't be civil to anyone here. I'm just sorry you guys couldn't solve it." McGee sounded anything but sorry. He gave her a small smile and sucked in a breath when the elevator stopped and the doors opened to reveal NCIS' squad room and three not very happy looking former teammates. "Crap."


	11. Chapter 11

Knowing that Tim wished to avoid a head on confrontation with his former teammates, his current ones jumped into action to prevent that from happening.

Vala, eager to please her one time lover, was the first to slip past Tim. Her target was the youngest male of the waiting group. Like an octopus with too many arms, she wrapped herself around a very surprised Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo and skillfully moved him away from the elevator and towards the assembled desks.

Cameron patted Tim on the shoulder as he headed for whom he assumed was the team leader. "Hiya, you must be Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs." He drawled and stuck his hand out to be shook. "I'm Colonel Mitchell, Tim's commanding officer. It's an honor to finally meet someone Tim speaks so highly of." He paused for a moment then continued before the other man could say anything. "Don't suppose you could show me to Director Shepards office, could you?" He asked once the polite handshakes were out of the way. "The sooner I speak to her, the sooner we get out of your hair." Just as he had hoped, Gibbs moved away from the group and headed towards a pair of stairs. Cameron followed him but not before throwing a wink over his shoulder at his remaining teammates.

McGee breathed a sigh of relief when he, Teal'c, Daniel, and Ziva were the only ones remaining. Abby must have slipped away as soon as they exited the elevator. There was no doubt in his mind that she was off to tell Ducky about his visit. "I'm going to owe them, aren't I?" He asked his brother and Teal'c.

"Vala Mal Doran has spoken several times about needing a new summer wardrobe. I suggest you buy it for her as compensation." Teal'c told him then moved off to inspect his new surroundings.

"He's right." Daniel gave his brother a synthetic pat on the arm. "If she isn't happy with that, then expect an outrageous credit card bill. I speak from experience." He said, dryly. "Shalom Ziva." He greeted the only member of Tim's original team still there.

"Shalom Daniel. It has been a long time." Ziva smiled slightly at the sight of her childhood friend. Who would have thought that he'd end up being McGee's foster brother? "I am sorry for your loss. I only found out recently about your parents."

Daniel bowed his head in thanks. "I still miss them but I've learned to move on." He took a moment to look around and quash the emotions that always rose to the surface when he spoke about his parents. "I never thought I'd see the day that a David would be working on American soil and for the American Government. The Ziva I knew didn't like American's, excluding me, of course." He gave her a teasing smile. "Who died to that happen?" He inquired, curiously.

Ziva looked away and studied McGee, who was standing quietly off to the side, glad that he appeared no worse for wear. She'd inquire about the scars, bruises, and cast later. "You remember Ari, don't you?" At his nod, she continued. "He came to America and clashed with Gibbs and his team on several occasions. I was his handler so I was sent here to try and stop Gibbs from killing him after he killed a member of his team, Kate Todd. I failed and Gibbs ended up killing him in self defense." She looked back to Daniel. "I didn't believe Ari did the things they said he did but I was present when he confessed his sins to Gibbs. After that I could not, in good conscience, return home. The Director pulled some strings and got be assigned here as Mossad liaison." She had told the lie about how Ari died so many times that she was beginning to believe it herself. Wanting to change the subject, she lead the two guys over to her desk where she turned her attention to McGee. "Did you fall off your computer, McGee?" She asked, seriously, referring to the cast covering his left wrist.

"Ah, no." McGee looked down at his wrist and wished they had had more time to clean up. He felt dirty even though they did rise off some of the grime and dirt. "I actually don't spend much time on a computer these days." He said with a shrug. "I help out sometimes when I'm not busy but our team is on active duty so..." Their cover story was that SG-1 was an active special ops team so what they did and where they did was classified. Nobody outside of the SGC needed to know any different, Ziva included. "I broke it two weeks ago and Doctor Lam tells me that it's healing nicely."

"He is on a front line team?" Ziva inquired with surprise in her voice. Again she took a moment to look McGee over. Upon closer inspection, she could see the difference in the young man. He still had his baby face but the loose muscles that made him look slightly out of shape before was gone, replaced with bulk that could only come from a rigorous exercise routine. He also had the look in his eyes that all men got once they'd seen real combat. She found it strange thinking of McGee as a soldier.

"Tim is apart of a front line combat team, yes." Daniel acknowledged. "We all got hurt on that mission." He motioned towards Tim's wrist with his head. "It was bad." He didn't say anymore knowing that he didn't have to. Ziva was Mossad, she'd understand.

Ziva moved her eyes back to her childhood friend. If she looked closely, she could see fading bruises and more recent ones. She also noticed the dirt smears and yellow stains on Daniel's shirt and Tim's pants. "You just return from a mission?"

McGee cleared his throat. "Training, actually. We lost track of time and had to change on the flight." He looked up towards the Directors office when he heard a door slam which was later followed by heavy footfalls on the stairs as a very angry Gibbs descended into the squad room.

"Ziva go help Ducky and Abby pack up the evidence we collected in the McGee case!" Gibbs growled as he sat down in his chair behind his desk.

Hurrying to comply, Ziva headed for the elevators that lead to the labs.

Daniel tilted his head when Cameron joined them a few seconds later. "Everything set?"

"Yup, The Director got the assurances from the President himself that we're better suited to investigate this case now that NCIS has hit a dead end." Cameron looked around for his teammates. "Murray, you, Vala, and Daniel come with me to give Ms. Sciuto a hand with the evidence. Wouldn't want something to get left behind." He smiled and followed Ziva.

Teal'c moved away from the Most Wanted wall and towards the elevators that Colonel Mitchell and Daniel Jackson was currently standing in front.

"I'm sorry but it wouldn't work out. We're from two different worlds, really." Vala moved out from behind the stairs followed by a very disheveled Tony. She made it to the elevators just before the door closed. Slipping inside, she grinned and rolled her eyes at something Cameron said to her.

Tony practically fell into his chair once the intruders were on their way to bother Abby and Ducky. "Wha..." He couldn't believe how alive he felt at this very moment. It was like every nerve ending was tingling.

"It'll wear off in an hour or two." McGee said seeing the stupidly confused look plastered on Tony's face. "Once it does wear off, I suggest you have a ginormous cup of coffee waiting because you're going to feel horrible." This he said with a chuckle.

Gibbs looked up when he realized that McGee was alone with them. He stood and walked over to Tony. "What's wrong with him?" He asked once he got done visually assessing his condition. He was still fiercely protective of his Agents.

McGee moved away from Ziva's desk and sat down in his chair, or what used to be his chair. "Vala happened." He said as if that explained it. "Actually, if you made out with any of us you'd feel like that."

"Explain, McGee!" Gibbs ordered from his place by Tony's side.

"We're still slightly...radioactive..." McGee began to explain. "We're not dangerous." He held up his hands at the look Gibbs was sending him. "We were exposed to an exotic form of radiation a couple weeks ago. It's harmless to us but prolonged contact to any of our skin will make a person feel...high. I am assure you, we're perfectly safe to be around. And in all actuality, I had forgotten about the exposure until I saw Tony's face. Doctor Lam and her nurses looked the same after they treated us. We didn't even know we had been exposed to anything until that point and then tests confirmed it."

Gibbs eyed the younger man. "Where were you exposed?" He asked, suspiciously. He still couldn't believe that computer geek McGee was working special ops now. It blew his mind but now that he saw him, maybe it wasn't so hard to believe because this McGee wasn't the McGee that had left grieving his father's death, that much he was sure of.

McGee looked away from Gibbs and surveyed his desk. A small smile tugged at his lips seeing that his personal belongings were still there. "You kept my stuff."

"It's still your desk, Probie." Tony said as he spun around in his chair until he felt sick. "So when you coming back?" He asked, turning glazed over eyes to his friend.

Clearing his throat, McGee pulled open his desk drawer and removed his iPod which he then tucked into his BDU's pocket.

"Tony asked you a question, _Agent_ McGee." Gibbs' voice was quiet but threatening, typical Gibbs.

McGee sighed, he had been hoping to avoid this question since he really didn't have an answer. Sure he missed NCIS and his teammates but he fit in better at the SGC and his new team seemed to accept him, all of him. "I'm not really sure when I'll be back. Sam isn't due back for a while and I'm the only person on base that knows the system besides her. They need me." Which was a lie. There was a handful of techs assigned to monitor the SGC's computer system. But he couldn't exactly tell them that.

Tony sat up straighter in his chair trying to focus. "Don't you like us anymore, McGoo?" He asked.

"Of course I still like you guys, Tony. But what I'm doing now is...amazing." McGee smiled. "I'm happy."

Gibbs' eyes narrowed. "And you weren't happy here? I thought you wanted to be a field Agent, McGee. Or have you gotten too good to work with us?"

McGee frowned. "Too good? What? No, of course not. I just like what I'm doing now. I didn't ask for the temporary reassignment. It was given to me and I couldn't exactly say no. So I'm making the best of it."

"You're lying, McGeek." Tony stood, a little unsteady, and walked over to McGee. "Wanna try for the truth this time?"

Gritting his teeth, McGee stood up to his full height. "My name is Timothy McGee not McGeek, McGoo, McMuffin, McDonalds, or anything else for that matter! For Godsake, try using my name once in a while and maybe I'd want to come back! Why would I want to come back to this when I have teammates that actually respect me?" He honestly wanted to know.

Now more than ever, Gibbs was aware that this wasn't the young man that left them a number of weeks ago. This Timothy McGee was confident and sure of his himself unlike the old McGee that stammered and second guessed his own actions. This was a McGee that had found his nitch in the world and wanted everyone to know it. He felt a little disheartened by this realization. Because even if Tim came back, McGee was long gone. "You think we don't respect you?"

McGee looked over at Gibbs when he heard the quiet question. "I think _you_ respect me boss. But I also think you don't understand me and that's okay. It's just nice being apart of a team that gets me and I get them, you know?"

Tony stood opened mouthed as McGee stood up to him. "Wow, didn't know you had it in you, Probie." He clamped a hand on McGee's shoulder and leaned closer to him so that Gibbs couldn't hear him. "You're a hellava wizz on the computer and I do respect you for it even if I've never said so. You're my friend, Mc...Tim, and I gotta admit that it's kinda boring with just Gibbs and Ziva to talk to. So you gotta come back, okay? My sanity is on the line." He joked.

"Can't stand the quiet, can you?" McGee felt his earlier anger disappear.

Gibbs felt the tension drop away and he almost smiled. Almost. Maybe there was hope, after all.

"How about joining us for lunch?" Tony asked as he moved back towards his desk. Their case load had been light these last couple of days and they could afford to go out for a slightly longer than usual lunch.

McGee shook his head. "Sorry Tony, can't. Once we get everything pertaining to my Dad's case, we got to put it on a plane and send it directly to Groom Lake for it to be looked over before being shipped to the mountain."

Tony stopped and turned. "Well, what about after that? Dinner?"

"After that we've been invited to a barbecue at General O'Neill's." McGee paused. "That reminds me, I need to pick up a box of dog biscuits." He mumbled to himself.

"General O'Neill? You mean Director of Homeland Security O'Neill?" Gibbs asked, interested in the circles McGee now hung around in. "You know him?"

"He's buying dog biscuits for him so he must know him, Gibbs." Tony joked as he sat back down in his chair a little disheartened that they couldn't have lunch together.

McGee rolled his eyes at Tony. "I'm buying dog biscuits for Atlantis, Jack's dog. And I do know him. Not as well as the rest of the team but we get along." He said with a shrug. "He likes fishing and Dad used to take me and Danny fishing so we have something to talk about. It's actually kinda a briefing. We have the clearance level to get the low down on what's happen in Homeland Security so he makes it into a barbecue. Kinda his way of sticking it to the man even thought he _is_ the man." He shook his head and raised his eyebrows when he heard his team returning. "Ready to go?"

Cameron nodded his head and shifted the box he was carrying. Daniel was carrying a similar box while Teal'c was carrying four piled on top of each other. And not surprising, Vala only carried an armful of manila folders. "Let's move out people, I'm starvin!"

"How about drinks later tonight?" McGee turned his attention back to Tony. "We're staying at the General's and taking the first flight to Nellis in the morning." He moved towards SG-1 who was climbing into the elevator.

Tony grinned. "Really? Alright! Eight o'clock at Mogies?"

McGee gave him the thumbs up just before the doors closed and he was whisked away back to his new life.

"He ain't ever coming back, is he boss?" Tony asked and his smile faded to a frown.

Gibbs moved back to his desk and sat down. "I couldn't tell you, Tony." He didn't even look up when he heard someone approaching. "You just missed him, Duck."

"Drat." Doctor Donald _Ducky_ Mallard frowned. "I had hoped to see him before he returned to his new life of adventure and intrigue. I had some questions regarding a colleague of his, a Doctor Carolyn Lam. Hm, pity." He had wanted to see Tim but he had been otherwise detained until now. Ziva had said something about a broken wrist and bruises, he wanted to make sure the young man was being treated properly.

"We're having drinks tonight at Mogies. Everyones invited." Tony informed the Medical Examiner. He wanted to have a get together that Tim would never forget.


	12. Chapter 12

By the time McGee pushed through the doors at Mogies, he was running forty-five minutes late. His explanation for his lateness died in his throat when he saw only Ducky sitting at the bar. Frowning, he made his way over to the Medical Examiner and sat down.

"Timothy, I'm so glad you made it!" Doctor Donald _Ducky _Mallard greeted with a smile. "Drink?"

McGee gave the older man a smile before ordering a Whiskey, neat, from the waiting waitress. "How you been, Ducky?" He questioned and nodded at the waitress when she sat his drink down in front of him on a napkin. "Thanks."

Ducky took a sip of his scotch and sat it back down on his own napkin. "I've been well, thank you for asking, Timothy. And how have you been?" He took a moment to look over the young Agent with a medical eye. From the once over he was able to detect a slight loss in weight but gain in muscle mass. His eyes stopped and each and every, visible, bruise. Some looked to be almost faded while others were more recent and colored pale skin a deep purplish blue. Finally his eyes came to rest on the cast that covered Tim's left wrist. Under the cuff of his shirt he could detect writing upon the simple white cast.

"I've been good." McGee answered and waved away the waitress' attempt to refill his now empty glass. He liked Ducky but he had never really been close to the older man so their conversation faded into a slightly tense silence.

"What happened to your wrist, Timothy?" Ducky asked when the silence threatened to overwhelm him. "Were you in a fight? Are your new employers mistreating you?"

McGee chuckled at that. "I'm better treated where I am now than I ever was at NCIS." He answered, honestly, then launched into his cover story. "I'm apart of a team that responds to threats on foreign and domestic soil. We're called in as a last resort and only if all else fails. A couple weeks ago we get a call from another team, they had been in this village for weeks , telling us that a...warlord...was threatening to attack. We geared up and went in. But the team had been wrong or mislead or whatever because we came under attack from the villagers. We were forced into a nearby forest where we stayed for two and a half days before we were able to escape. Later we found out that a terrorist sleeper cell had been using the village as a base for months, right under our guys noses." He shook his head as if at the irony of the situation.

Ducky didn't know what to say to that. So Timothy really was special ops, when Ziva had mentioned it, he thought she was mistaken, but now he knew she was correct. "So you're fighting terrorists?"

"Just doing my part, Ducky." McGee wanted to change the subject. "So where is everybody?"

"They were called out but promised to return once they finished." Ducky knew the other man was trying to change the subject so he let him. "They were all quite put out and I'm sure Jethro will receive a number of complaints tomorrow."

McGee fiddled with his empty glass. "I'm sorry I was late. I tried to get away sooner but they wouldn't let me go!" It was almost comical at how he sounded.

Ducky shook his head and smiled at the waitress as she refilled his glass. "Director O'Neill wouldn't allow you to leave?" That sounded odd even to him.

"None of them would! They're all pains in my ass!" McGee said with a fond little smile on his lips. "They said it wouldn't be the same without me but I know the real reason."

"And that would be?" Ducky was having a hard time following the chain of events that lead Timothy here but he kept quiet and let the other man speak.

McGee's grin widened. "Jack just wanted my money." His eyes were sparkling and alive.

Ducky blinked. "Jack, you mean Director O'Neill?, wanted your money? Whatever for?"

"Well, I said the Red Wings were going to win and he said the Penguins. Tonight was the deciding game and he wanted me there so I could pay up." A smirk transformed McGee's youthful face into something more sinister. "When I left the Red Wings were winning and Jack was moaning into his beer."

"Are you talking about the Stanley Cup playoffs? Hockey?" Ducky wasn't aware that Tim liked sports of any kind let alone such a violent one.

McGee nodded his head. "I know what you're thinking." Ducky was easy to read. "And I don't like sports, much, but Hockey is kind of a tradition with the team. Jack got them started back when he was team leader and they kept the tradition of Hockey night alive after he got promoted and sent to Washington. I guess you could say it's a team bonding ritual and it keeps us all close, not that we aren't close already. I mean when you working seventy-two hour days, nine days a week, you tend to get close to the people you're with. I've only been with them a short time but we're a family, you know?"

Ducky did know and that made his heartache even more. Tony and Abby were positive that Tim would be returning after he had enough of his new adventure but now that he heard Tim talk, he wasn't sure the young Agent would be returning to NCIS anytime soon. "And you're on the same team as your brother?"

"Yeah, I guess you could say Daniel is one of the founding members. He's been apart of it since it's conception ten, almost eleven, years ago. I hadn't realized how much I missed him until Dad died and he showed up to offer comfort." McGee sighed. "This year isn't going how I imagined it."

"I don't imagine that it is, Timothy." Ducky patted Tim's arm and finished off his second glass of Scotch. "Would you think terribly of me if I asked you to tell me about you brother? I think we're all curious to hear about him."

McGee shook his head. "I don't know why I never talked about him, not that I talked about Sarah much either." He paused trying to figure out where to begin. "I guess you could say Daniel Melburn Jackson was my parents first child. They thought mom couldn't have kids because of her accident so they became foster parents to fill the void. Daniel was eight when his parents died and the same age when he came to live with my parents. Much to their surprise and delight I came along four years later and Sarah eight years after that. They never played favorites and we were all treated the same. I was four when he moved out of the house and into a dorm at school. But he always came home for the holidays and was even present when Sarah came screaming into this world. He stayed close to us, always taking us over the summer holidays and even on trips with him to some exotic dig site he was working on or consulting on. He was the ideal big brother." There really wasn't anything else to say.

Ducky tilted his head to the side as he processed all the information he had just been given. "He didn't stay close to your parents?"

"No, he felt like he was betraying his real parents by loving Mom and Dad so he cut them out of his life. He's been in contact with Mom since then but Dad just couldn't get over the betrayal of his oldest son. I know Daniel tried to mend fences but Dad was stubborn and wouldn't hear it. Now Dad's gone and Daniel's hurting, not that he'd tell anyone that, but I know." McGee ran a hand over his cropped hair. "It's a mess Ducky and I can't wait until we solve it and can move on." He whispered.

Ducky could only imagine what Tim was going through. "Were you close to your father?"

McGee shook his head. "Dad was a Navy man first and a family man second. He wanted a son that would follow in his footsteps. He thought he got that when Daniel came along so he put him in all kinds of sports only to find out he was more interested in reading than passing a football or hitting a home run. Then I came along and he got his junior and his legacy, so he thought. But I grew up with Daniel as my role model, not him. I loved books and computers and had no time for soccer, rugby, or fencing." He made a face at the thought of the one subject that caused him to have a less than perfect GPA when he graduated college. "And then along came Sarah, a girl, a daughter, an end to his legacy. He looked at his three children and saw nothing but failure on his part. None of us would carry on the families proud military tradition, not with Daniel going to school to be an Archeologist, me going to be a Computer Tech or Law Enforcement Officer, and Sarah going to be a Marine Biologist. Mom was proud but Dad..." He shrugged and looked at his watch. Two hours had passed since his arrival and the hour was growing late. "I'm going to have to go soon. We have an early flight in the morning."

"They are going to be disappointed that they missed you, Timothy, but in time, I'm sure you'll be forgiven." Ducky reassured him. "Just take care in what you are doing. We want you back in one piece."

"I'm always careful." McGee pulled out a twenty and laid it on the bar. "Drinks are on me." He spun around on the stool and slid off, heading for the door. Ducky's voice stopped him before he could exit.

Ducky pulled on his hat and coat, then followed the younger man to the door. "Do you happen to know a Carolyn Lam?" He walked out with him.

McGee slowed his steps and walked with the older man. "Doctor Lam? Sure, why?"

"Her mother, Kim, is a close personal friend, and she mentioned having met you. I had wondered how that meeting came to pass until she told me that her daughter now works out of Cheyenne Mountain under the command of her father, Hank Landry. He's also _your _commanding officer, if I'm not mistaken." Ducky stopped at the curb unsure which way Tim was going.

"Yeah, General Landry is Cheyenne Mountains commanding officer." McGee thought for a moment at where he had met Carolyn's mother. "Kim Lam." The name sounded so familiar. "Oh, oh! She lives two houses down from me." He finally remembered. "I help her with her groceries sometimes and I mowed her lawn once. I didn't even think to connect her to Carolyn, I wonder why?"

Ducky smiled. "She spoke highly of you. Said her daughter would do well if she found someone like you to take care of her."

McGee snorted. "Doctor Lam and Cameron, the leader of my team, are an item. You can tell her, the next time you see her, that her daughter is in good hands." He stood for a moment, in silence, just taking in the sights and sounds of Washington D.C. "It was good seeing you again, Ducky. Tell the others that I'm sorry I missed them and that I'll call them or something to make up for it." He turned and headed down the street to where his borrowed SUV was parked. He unlocked the doors, climbed in, and drove off.

"Be safe, Timothy." Ducky whispered as he watched as Tim climbed into a black SUV with government plates and drove off into the night. He could only imagine the disappointment the others were going to feel when he told that Tim seemed happy and content with his current employment. He turned and headed down the street to where his own car was parked, climbed in, and headed home.


	13. Chapter 13

**Ten Months Later**

**Washington D.C.**

"We know who it is?" McGee asked as he used his hand to shield his eyes from the early morning sun.

"It's our informant." Daniel confirmed as he motioned towards the body sprawled on the pavement just outside the warehouse door.

McGee took a moment to survey the seen. There was only two people, other than him and Daniel, at the scene. "They see anything?" He asked as he followed his brother towards the body.

Daniel shook his head in the negative. "Metro Police received an anonymous call at five this morning reporting a dead body. We lost contact with our man two hours prior to that in this area and figured the worse. We were, unfortunately, right." He stopped once they reached their destination.

Kneeling down, McGee studied the youthful face staring, blankly, at the sky and breathed out harshly when he recognized it as belonging to First Lieutenant Anthony Nelson, USMC, SGC, SG-8. "When was he approached?" He asked in a tight voice as he stood. Having been injured, severely, on a mission three weeks ago, he hadn't been able to take part in this latest uncover operation due to strict Doctors orders. If he had known Anthony was approached by the very men that killed his father, he would have defied Doctors orders.

"Couple weeks ago. He reported the meeting to General Landry as soon as it concluded. He's been working with us, to try and catch them, ever since." Daniel told him. "You two were friends, weren't you?" He asked after a minute of silence.

McGee nodded and ran a hand through his hair, he was due for a haircut. "I was best man at his wedding nine months ago. I helped him make funeral arrangements for his wife three months ago and just last month he named me Godfather to his son." He took a deep breath and let it out. "How many more are they going to kill before we stop them? First Dad then Airmen Dawes and Dawson, and finally Tony. How many more innocent people, Danny? How many?"

Daniel patted his brother on the arm. "Lieutenant Nelson was able to send us some good intel before we lost his signal. I sent it back to the Mountain for Sam to analyze. We _will_ catch them, Tim. And they _will_ be brought to justice for what they did." His voice was filled with determination.

"I know." McGee said quietly then let his eyes wonder back over to the two cops lingering near the edge of the dock. "Have our people been over the scene yet?"

"Yeah, they finished up right before you arrived, why?" Daniel wanted to know.

McGee motioned towards the cops with his head. "Because LEO's are trained to spot sailors and act accordingly. I imagine they've contacted NCIS to report a dead Marine." He started towards his rental but stopped when something occurred to him; Anthony never went anywhere without his son except offworld and only then was he cared for by a trusted nanny. "Where's Arrom?" He asked as he turned back towards his brother.

Daniel blinked. "Who's Arrom?"

"Arrom his Anthony's son, my Godson. He doesn't go anywhere without him when he's planet side so where is the boy?" McGee was beginning to panic. "Was he with him when this all went down?"

"Nelson was alone." Daniel assured him. "The boy is safe and sound with his nanny. They're staying at the Radisson downtown but first you should consider contacting any family the Lieutenant may have so they can care for the boy."

McGee shook his head. "Tony doesn't have any family and neither did Nareem. His parents died when he was fifteen and she never knew hers. Both were raised by relatives that are now deceased. I'm all Arrom has." With that said he spun on his heel, climbed into his rental, and headed for downtown D.C.

Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo stopped the car right outside the yellow police tape. He climbed out and nodded at the two police officers milling about, waiting for NCIS no doubt. "You the ones to call this in?" He asked.

The youngest one, Officer Martinez, nodded his head. "Yup." He motioned towards the body with his head. "Call came into dispatch at five this morning. We came to check it out and then called you when we noticed the dog tags."

"Five this morning?" Tony looked away from his note pad and at his watch; it was a little past ten. "It took you five hours to call us?" Did the two of them seem a little nervous?

Officer Martinez's partner, Officer Romas, shrugged his shoulders. "It was a busy morning. We responded to two other calls while in route here. We figured if there was a dead body, it wasn't going anywhere." The last thing he wanted to do was mess up the story the other man had told him before leaving. He struck him as the type that could make him _and_ his partner disappear with no questions asked.

Tony looked at them over the tops of his sunglasses. Yup, definitely, nervous. "Something happen you boys wanna share?" Now he was wishing Ziva would have taken this call instead of riding with Gibbs to another one. He closed his note pad, tucked it back into his shirt pocket, grabbed his gear, slipped under the police tape, and began to examine the scene.

"No, sir." Officer Martinez answered, quickly. "Like Ricky said, it was a busy morning. You can check with dispatch if you don't believe us." He pointed out.

"Uh huh." Tony still wasn't believing them but he had no proof that they were lying other than a feeling. "Either of you touch the body?" He knelt down beside the young man, a Marine, if the Semper Fi tattoo on his left bicep was any indication.

"I did when I checked for ID, that's when I saw the tags.." Officer Romas told him, moving away from the squad car and closer to the police tape. "Look..." He looked from side to side before focusing on the kneeling Special Agent. "It was a hectic morning. I swear all the freaks and creeps in the area were out and about causing trouble and such. We got the call to check for a possible DB out here. Before we make it out of the parking lot, we were told to respond to a domestic. It took us an hour to calm the woman down just to get her statement and another hour to arrest her husband, take him back to the station and booked him. We started out here again only to be called out to a car accident. It took us two and a half hours to clear that up. After that we stopped for a quick breakfast, again the DB wasn't going anywhere, and then we arrived here. We saw the body, checked for ID, found none, saw the dog tags, and called NCIS."

Tony knew the two officers were hiding something, his gut was all but screaming it. But their story was plausible and easily checked out. "Alright Officers, I'll take it from here." He dismissed, stood, called Ducky, and went about his job of documenting, photographing, and sketching the crime scene. After that all he could do was wait for the Medical Examiner to arrive.

* * *

**Two Hours Later**

**NCIS**

"What do we know about our dead Marine?" Gibbs asked he strolled into the squad room, a cup of coffee held tightly in his hand. It turned out that the scene he and Ziva responded to was nothing more than a hoax concocted by two, very, young Petty Officers that had way too much time on their hands; which wasn't the case anymore thanks to a few phone calls from Gibbs to their Superior Officer.

Jumping to his feet, Tony motioned to the plasma and the picture displayed on it. "First Lieutenant Anthony Nelson, United States Marine Corps. He joined right out of high school on the _see the world plan_ and ended up serving half a tour in Iraq before his twentieth birthday."

"Half a tour?" Ziva inquired as she stepped up beside her partner. She had to admit that the young Marine was handsome in a wholesome sort of way. He kinda reminded her a McGee, the _old_ McGee. "How does one serve half a tour?"

Gibbs took a sip of his coffee before joining the two in front of the plasma. "That's a good question. DiNozzo?"

"Very good question, Boss." Tony agreed then hurried to answer it. He clicked the wireless mouse, scrolling through several screens before stopping on the one relevant. "Ah, here we go. According to the Corps, the First Lieutenant was injured when an IED exploded near his convoy. He was sent state side due to the injuries he sustained. This is where it gets interesting, Boss." He clicked to another screen. "After he was released from the hospital, he was assigned to Cheyenne Mountain where he's been ever since."

Ziva looked away from the picture and at Tony. "So what was he doing here in D.C.?"

"Another good question." Gibbs gave Tony a pointed look only to receive a shrug in return. "Well find out, DiNozzo!" He barked and moved back to his desk. "Next of kin?" He inquired once he sat down behind his desk.

Tony sat down behind his desk and pulled out a copy of First Lieutenant Anthony Nelson's personal file. He flipped through the pages. "It says here that his parents along with his little brother and sister were killed in a car accident when he was fifteen, he was raised by his maternal Aunt. Um, he married nine months ago, a fellow Marine by the name of Nareem Cahn." He paused before continuing. "Man, this guy doesn't have any luck. She was killed shortly after being deployed to Iraq, three months ago. They have a one year old son, Arrom."

Gibbs frowned. If both parents were dead, where was the kid and who was looking after him? "Any emergency contact information listed?"

"Yeah, hold on." Tony flipped back a few pages and skimmed to the bottom. "One Nancy Monroe is listed. Says here she's a certified child assistant." He frowned and looked at Gibbs. "What's that suppose to mean?"

"It means she's a nanny." Gibbs rolled his eyes. "Just give me the number, DiNozzo, then get to work on finding out why he was in D.C.!" He barked and began to dial as soon as Tony began to call out numbers. "Mrs. Monroe?" He questioned when the phone was answered. "My name is Special Agent Gibbs and I'm with NCIS in Washington D.C.. You're in town? Is there someplace we could meet, Mrs. Monroe?"

* * *

**Fours Hours Later**

**NCIS**

McGee was frantic when he discovered Nancy and Arrom were missing or at least they weren't at the hotel like Daniel had promised him. He cursed himself for stopping at his own hotel before going; he needed to get cleaned up and change since he arrived at the scene directly from the airport. All kinds of bad thoughts were running through his mind. But after taking some time to calm down and clear his head, he thought about the situation logically. And those thoughts brought him to his current location; outside the NCIS building. Plus the phone call from Mrs. Monroe, Arrom's Nanny, helped too. He took a deep breath, strolled in, flashed his Homeland Security badge, it came in handy more often than not these days, bypassed the metal detector and took the elevator to the correct floor. As soon as the metal doors opened he heard the wales of a child in distress and not just any child, his Godson. Following the boys howls, he ended up standing outside the conference room door. He could easily hear the voices inside begging the boy to calm down but what one year old actually listened to or understood anything being asked of them? Without knocking, he didn't have time for Agency protocol, he opened the door and stepped inside; where he came face to face with his red faced Godson and a haggled looking Mossad liaison officer, Ziva David. He breathed out a sigh of relief when he saw that the boy was okay.

Ziva looked away from the crying toddler when the door suddenly opened. Turning in her seat, her eyes landed on the wayward Timothy McGee, temporarily reassigned NCIS Special Agent. "McGee?" She had to raised her voice to be heard over the pathetic sobs coming from the very loud child struggling on her lap.

"Hey, Ziva." McGee smiled and stepped further into the room so he could close the doors. "How you been?" By this point he was standing beside Ziva's chair so he reached down and plucked his distraught Godson off her lap and cuddled him close; his cries promptly stopped.

Stunned at his arrival, Ziva didn't even stop him from taking her charge, or that's what Gibbs had taken to calling the toddler son of the dead Marine. "What are you doing here?" She had only had the child under her care for half an hour but her nerves already felt frayed and ready to snap.

McGee smiled down into the red rimmed chocolate brown eyes staring up at him. "Shalom, Arrom." He greeted the boy, softly. "It's going to be alright, little man, I promise."

Ziva shook her head and stood. "You know this child?" She had heard him greet the boy by name.

"I'm his legal guardian now that his father is...gone." McGee fought back the ache at losing his friend. "You guys got any leads?" He was curious to know how far their investigation would get before reaching a dead end, just like they had with his fathers case.

"You know I cannot discuss an ongoing case with you, McGee." Ziva was surprised to hear that McGee was the boys guardian but even more surprised that he knew his father was dead. "How do you know about his father?" There was suspicion in her voice.

McGee tightened his arms around Arrom as the boy snuggled into him. "Classified." He had gotten good at using the word.

Ziva frowned and crossed her arms over her chest. "Classified? You do not trust me, McGee?"

"It's not a matter of trust, Ziva, because I do and have trusted you with my life. But this is not the place to discuss matters. I have learned that the walls do, indeed, have ears." McGee explained. "I don't want the others seeing me so can you get me the release forms to fill out and sign so I can get Arrom someplace safe?"

Frown still firmly on her face, Ziva left the room and returned a short time later with the papers he had asked for. "You will tell me what is going on if we are not here?" She questioned.

McGee began to fill out the paper work that would allow him to walk out of the building with young Arrom. "You know more than you let on, Ziva. I know you know what I do, what I _really_ do, inside Cheyenne Mountain. Daniel told me that you have the clearance and have worked with us in the past regarding the Program. But for me to read you in on this...I'll have to get permission." He signed his name at the bottom of the last piece of paper and handed them to her once that was complete he pulled out a business card and handed it to her. "Stop by that address tonight after your shift is over." With that said he stood, a sleeping Arrom in his arms, and left the conference room and then the building via the lesser known back entrance way.

Ziva looked down at the card once McGee had left. It wasn't a business card or at least not once she'd seen before. It was made out of clear plastic and there was an address printed, in black, right in the center. She tucked it away into her pocket, made sure the paper work was all in order, then left the conference room. Her first stop was the Directors Office where she dropped off the stack of papers with Cynthia for the Director to look over and file. On her way back to her desk, she began to think up a story to cover for McGee. By the time she reached her desk, Gibbs was bearing down on her demanding to know where the boy had gone. "His guardian came and picked him up, Gibbs. Was I suppose to stop him?" That sounded like a reasonable question. With a raised eyebrow she watched as Gibbs turned and stomped towards the elevators. Once the elevator doors closed, she sat down behind her desk and began counting down the hours until her meeting with McGee.


End file.
